Masterpiece
by MPPSexxySiriusJamesRemus
Summary: Every girl wants to be like Lily Evans and find her James Potter.
1. Prologue & Chapter 1

Masterpiece

**Disclaimer:** Everything Harry Potter related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Warner Bros., etc.

**Summary: **Every girl wants to be like Lily Evans and find her James Potter.

**Posted: **9/28/07

* * *

Masterpiece

They'll say, "Every girl wants to be like Lily Evans and find her James Potter." And in their mind they'll envision a masterpiece of flesh, a god of a man to go along with one of the greatest love stories ever told.

He'll be tall...tall and thin, with messy, jet black hair and a long perfectly shaped nose; and oh, forget-me-not hazel eyes! They'll picture him in his majestic Quidditch robes, with smudges of dirt and sweat around his face: caressing his cheek, accenting his forehead, my what a divine specimen even through the filth! They'll hear his beautiful promises. The proclamations of love: The gorgeously crafted words that would win any girl's heart.

And maybe they'll picture just how this perfect pair of lovers fell in love. They'll concoct in their own mind what happened. Some will think he grew up -- he became the man who would give his life, give everything he had, for his wife and newborn child. Some will think that it all began in seventh year when they entered as Head Boy and Girl. She finally saw how marvelous he truly was. Others may see him as Prince Charming. They'll see him saving her, him proving his love without words. He'll heal her pains, stop her sorrows and in turn, earn her heart.

Yes, what a wonderful story, they'll say. What a beautiful romance! As Lily overcomes her stubbornness, as James proves his value. And together they ride off into the sun that never seems to set.

Forget Romeo and Juliet - every girl wants a love like Lily and James'. Every girl wants her gorgeous Prince on his noble steed to come and save her, to come and show her what love _means_.

It's true. They'll say, "Every girl wants to be the Lily who finds her James." To be loved and cherished and saved. But it wasn't James who saved Lily. It was Lily who saved James.

* * *

She should've known it would turn out all right. Maybe not how she'd imagine--maybe not how she'd ever think she wanted it; but she should've known from the bright, lively, sunlit day that all would be well.

She was seventeen with, pardon the muggle phrase, the world as her oyster. Her future was as far as the eye could see; the sky, the limit. She wore a beautifully polished badge upon her robes. Finally, she thought, smiling to herself as she boarded the train, a reward for my hard work. She was Head Girl; she had every privilege a student could have; she had the respect of a fine headmaster, Albus Dumbledore; she had--a door hit her squarely in the face.

A gruff voice behind the door growled, _"What the fuck?"_

Stumbling back, with her head pressed firmly on her forehead, Lily could still distinguish the voice of James Potter.

He turned his head around and saw her. His voice softened slightly--the growl subsided to a mere wolf.

"Lily!"

She didn't pause to wait for an apology she wasn't sure would ever come; instead she ducked past him and kept walking. As Head Girl, she had to promptly meet the Head Boy, whom she assumed to be Remus Lupin, and prepare for the Prefects to come aboard -- a conflict with Potter wouldn't fit into her schedule.

She heard treading footsteps behind her and was slightly amazed to see James following her. Pushing any aggressive thoughts out of her mind, she pushed the compartment door open and found, when she attempted to close it behind her, it resisted.

"What--" she said under her breath.

It wasn't until he turned around to yell, "Watch where you're going, you little prat! Do you _know_ who the fuck I am? James Potter, that's who--" that Lily noticed the Head Boy badge on his robes.

"Potter?!"


	2. Chapter 2

Masterpiece

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and everything related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastics, Warner Bros., etc.

**Summary: **It's true: Every girl wants to be the Lily who finds her James.

**Posted: **9/30/07

* * *

As James turned around, done snapping at the passing third year, Lily felt the overwhelming desire to rip the Head Boy badge from his chest, thrust it into his hand and say, "Go give that back to the _real _Head Boy, Potter!"

"Yeah?!" he demanded, turning toward her, his voice still harsh from his tell-off.

She raised her eyebrows slightly. She stared at his unkempt hair; at his darken eyes, with deep lines of tired underneath them, at his disheveled robe. "You're Head Boy?" she asked skeptically.

"Unless the badge came in the wrong envelop, then I should say I am the Head Boy," his voice was harsh and snippy.

"Don't you snap at me, James Potter!" she said just as sharply. He raised his eyebrow at the challenge. "Don't think I'm going to put up with your smart-arse and the rude comments you make at me, because I _won't_!" He walked past her and sat down at the table behind her, feigning disinterest while actually catching every word. "And as Head Boy, you should _not _be threatening and cursing at third years. You're supposed to set an example and be a nice person. Since you are incapable of being a decent person I daresay you won't be Head Boy much longer."

If he had been stung by this comment he didn't show it. Instead he snipped out, "Kicking me off of this would just do me a favor. I've got a Quidditch cup to win this year."

Her eyes lowered in a dangerous way as she turned to look at him. "Do you know how important our jobs are, Potter?"

He didn't even bother answering her and this infuriated her even more. They sat in silence for a minute before Lily decided to delegate the tasks of the meeting. Potter was, expectedly, uncooperative. Every task she asked him to do, he shot down, with reasons that were nothing more than mere disinterest and laziness.

"Potter, they need to learn the rules and you've got to make sure they take it down on their notes--"

At this point he pulled his wand out and tapped the parchment holding the rules. He then copied it two dozen times and looked at her smugly. She turned from him to address the entering Prefects. And when it was Potter's turn to go over the rules, he merely gave the stack of parchment to someone, told them to pass it around the room and stated, "If you break these rules, I'll break your legs!" before sitting down.

Once Lily called the meeting she turned around on James, a fire of hatred in her eyes. She held her eyes shut tightly for a minute and exhaled deeply.

"What _now _Evans? I'm getting quite sick of your bullshit_--_"

"I am done!" she said, pulling the parchment up into scrolls and turning toward the door before James got the chance to pass. "I am done with _you_, Potter! I don't understand how you've got friends: you're a complete asshole!"

"Calm the fuck down," James said, stepping forward and slamming the door closed, inches away from her face.

"Let me go," she said quietly; her voice was icy cold.

"Just shut the fuck up, Evans, you can't talk to _me--_"

"Yes, you're _James Potter_," she said mockingly. "I understand who you are just fine, Potter." She stepped closer to him and though she was five inches shorter than him, she leveled with him and stared straight into his face. "I don't give a damn about that! That doesn't even making a difference. Honestly, Potter, you need to grow_--_"

"I need to grow up?" His voice was the coldest yet. "Don't even start, Evans. You have no idea what it's like in the wizarding in the world, what's happening to us all. You're just a muggleborn, completely unaware!"

Lily stared at him. "Of course I know what's going on."

"But it doesn't affect you!"

"I'm a witch, too, Potter. Just because I'm not pureblooded doesn't mean I am not affected by what's happening."

"Yes, it does. What do you matter by wizarding standards?"

She glared up at him, pressed her shoulder into his, catching him off guard and pushing him out of the way. Slamming the compartment door open she glared back at him, "When did you become prejudice enough to call me a mudblood, Potter?"

He looked like he had been slapped in the face; every cold remark and daring stare he held vanished within an instant. He opened his mouth but it fell close within a second. "I...I didn't! I _never--_"

"You as good as did," she muttered, starting to close the door. Before it closed completely, she stared straight into his face and said, "I'm going to owl Dumbledore, just so you know. I hope he'll give me a new partner. Someone who's not a complete ego-trip, someone who gives a damn about someone besides himself. Someone who's worth something, cause that's certainly not you, Potter."


	3. Chapter 3

Masterpiece

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and everything related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastics, Warner Bros., etc.

**Summary: **It's true: Every girl wants to be the Lily who finds her James.

**Posted: **9/30/07

**IMPORTANT Author's Note: **Many of you know, but some of you do not: I cannot post at home on my land computer. I can only post when I have a laptop from my journalism class home. I try to borrow it for the weekends so I can post more than one chapter, but that doesn't always happen. I will try to get some stuff done and transfer it to the computer at school and perhaps post in the morning before school starts, but I can't make any promises of that. I am also going to try extremely hard to get more of The Love of a Lifetime up on the site, but I still have school work to get done. Bear with me, and I'll make it worth you're waiting!

* * *

James didn't even bother slamming his fist into the wall as he passed along the compartments of the train. He was so distracted by Lily's parting words that, in fact, he forgot to snap at a passing fifth year who brushed his arm as she walked by. When he entered the compartment wherein sat Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, and his best friend Sirius Black, he threw himself down next to Peter and scowled at the floor.

"How was it?" Peter asked tentatively. "Was Lily--"

"Yes," James said, turning to look at his friend. "She's infuriated with me."

"What did you do now?" Remus asked impatiently.

James' temper rose again, but his voice stayed straight: Sirius was giving him a small nod. "A little berk of a third year ran into me as I was walking to the compartment so I told him to watch his fucking--"

"_Prongs."_

"Well, anyway, Evans told me off about it!" James played the victim well. "So one thing led to another and we got into a bit of a fight. Now she's threatening to get Dumbledore involved and take away my badge."

Peter gave him a sad look and then looked toward the other boys to assist him. Remus shook his head, disappointedly while Sirius studied his friend.

"But that's fine with me," James added, nonchalantly: trying to show his mates that the badge meant nothing to him. "I never asked to be Head Boy." He took the badge off his robes and tossed it to Remus. "It should've been you, Moony."

"Oh no you don't!" Remus said crossly, tossing the badge back at him forcefully.

"What? I don't even want to do it. I hate working with Evans," he said honestly. "It doesn't do either of us any good. All she does is boss me around. Who does she think she is, anyway? Telling me to discuss things with the Prefects!"

"_You are Head Boy, Prongs!"_ Remus said quickly. "You have the same responsibilities as she and she only wants to make it efficient. Merlin's beard, James! You've been chasing the girl for three years and you know nothing about her."

"Of course I know things!" James said defensively. "I know she's gorgeous and hardheaded and smart in Potions and Charms and is a goody-two-shoes! And today," he added pointedly. "I learned she has a strong right shoulder." The others looked at him in confusion. "Because she rammed it into my chest to get out of the Head's compartment."

"Why would she need to push you out of the way, Prongs?"

"I've told you, Wormtail! We got into a bit of an argument and some words were thrown." James turned to look at Remus solemnly. "I sort of lost my temper and blocked her from the exit."

"You are never going to get anywhere with her if you keep this up, Prongs," Remus said, like a disappointed father.

"But I don't want to work with her like this! She's too pushy and annoying--"

"She's always like this, James, you've just ignored it," Peter said.

"Well a bloody good thing that does for me now, Wormtail." He was silent for a moment, then said, "I like her a lot, but sometimes...I wish she was less like...herself."

"James, mate, I bet she wishes you were less like yourself _all_ the time."

"I'm not changing!"

"Nor will she," Peter said evenly.

James appeared to not even have heard Peter and was ranting, "I can't even stand being alone in a room with her for five minutes, now!"

Sirius, who had been silent to this point shook his head gravely. "Prongs, you are going about this all wrong."

James closed his mouth, stopping whatever retort was next on the way.

"You want to win her over, don't you?" James nodded his answer to the rhetoric question. "Then this is your best chance, mate! You get all this time alone with her to woo her!"

Even Remus smiled at Sirius' use of 'woo.'

"She hates me, Padfoot," James said in a sort of defeated voice. "She always has. She even said so today when she was leaving. Basically told me to go die and said I'm not a nice person."

"What makes you say that, Prongs?"

"She called me an asshole, Wormtail."

"Well you are," Sirius said simply. "Look, mate, you're the best friend I've ever had, but you are a berk."

"I'm never a berk to you! To any of you," he said looking around at them.

"Not to us," Remus agreed. "But to everyone else you are."

"But you can change that," Sirius said reassuringly. "And you will."

* * *

Still fuming, Lily entered her own compartment, a few train-cars down from the Marauders and found her three closest friends and fellow Gryffindors talking animatedly inside. When she entered, they turn their full attention to her.

"Well?!" Dorcas Meadowes asked expectantly.

"Oh, this is not good," Mary McDonald chimed in. "You look upset, what happened? Run into James Potter on your way back from the meeting?"

"He is Head Boy!" she said so quickly that none of them had heard her.

"What was that, Lily?" Amelia Bones asked, patience in her voice.

"It sounded like you said 'he is Head Boy'," Mary said, giggling a little to herself. "But that would be in reference to James Potter and--" Upon seeing the look on Lily's face, Mary's voice dropped.

"James Potter is Head Boy?" Amelia asked, hoping for reassurance.

"James Potter _is _Head Boy," Lily confirmed. "But not only that! The worst one there ever was. I'm sure of it! And therefore, he won't be wearing that badge much longer once I've spoken to Dumbledore about it. He'll see sense."

"There must be a reason he's Head Boy, Lily," Dorcas said evenly. "Dumbledore doesn't make mistakes, he always knows what he's doing. And I don't think you'll be able to sway him."

"Well I must try!"

"What's gotten you so worked up, dear?" Mary asked, edging off of her seat: it was only too evident that she was interested to hear the complete story. So Lily told it. She vented, sighed in annoyance and growled in discontent and by the time she was finished all the girls had varying looks on their faces.

"It couldn't have been that bad," Dorcas said. She always took the devil's advocate, which in this case, was the optimistic view point.

"Oh do not underestimate that bloke," Mary said crossly. "He _is _an asshole! Good for you, Lily, calling him out on it."

Amelia, who always tried to stay impartial, looked between Dorcas and Mary before saying, "I think you may've misinterpreted him."

"I agree!" Dorcas said, looking to Lily. "I don't think he meant to call you a mm... a mud... well, you know! The M-word!"

"What else could he have been talking about?" Mary demanded of Dorcas before Lily could speak.

"Yes!" Lily agreed, "Judging me by pureblooded standard, as though I don't understand what's happening--"

"Oh, so you did find out his mum died?" Amelia asked, interestedly.

Lily stared at her. "His mum died?"

"You didn't know?" Amelia asked.

"No, I didn't know. I only see what's in the prophet and I never read anything about--"

"Well you wouldn't," Dorcas said simply. "The prophet doesn't say anything about deaths anymore. It's all censored."

"By Death Eaters? Did she get killed by some of You-Know-Who's followers?"

"Oh no," Amelia said, shaking her head. "She died of old age--"

"No she didn't," Dorcas disagreed.

"Dor, she was one hundred and thirty-nine!"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean she died of old age. Who did you hear that from? She died of a muggle illness. I forget which one..."

"His mom was one hundred and thirty-nine years old?!" Lily asked, horrified. "That means she had him when she was one hundred and twenty-one years old!"

"Indeed," Dorcas said. "But that's not too rare. It's happened a few times, but none so recent as James. They tried and tried for years."

"Yes," Amelia said as if it were common knowledge.

"How did you all know this?"

"Yeah!" Mary agreed, looking between the two.

"We're pureblooded!" Dorcas said simply. "Things like this only go through the pureblooded families."

"I think that's the standard James was talking about," Amelia said fairly. "It's something you'd never know about unless you _were _pureblooded, Lil. Every pureblood knows who Mary Potter was. She was one of the most beautiful witches in her day."

"Mmhm!" Dorcas agreed. "Tall and slender. Deep, dark red hair. Kind hearted too! Boy did they spoil James when he was a child."

"Probably why he's such a stuck-up arse," Mary commented.

"Anyway," Amelia concluded. "He probably just knew you didn't understand what had happened."

"He worded it badly," Lily said fairly.

"Yes, someone should teach him proper English," Mary agreed. "And don't get me wrong. I feel sorry for the bloke! But he was out of line with that third year and snapping at Lily. He was being an asshole."

Lily nodded in agreement, her stomach a bit in knots still, after hearing of James' tragedy. "I'm going to go apologize to him and tell him I'm sorry to hear the news."

"Lily!" Amelia said, a shocked look masking her face.

"Why?" demanded Mary, pushing the brown hair out of her eyes, which were narrowed in anger. "What the hell are you thinking? He was a total berk to you!"

"Yeah he was," Lily agreed. "But if Dorcas is right and I have to work with him all year then we had better start on a better foot than this one." She stood up and walked toward the door. "Besides, I've got to check on the Prefects and make sure they're doing their rounds. I'll be back."

She marched straight toward the Marauders compartment - they had been in the same one since second year, unchallenged for their spot, especially as they grew older and learned more jinxs. When she reached it, she knocked three times on it and the voices from behind it fell silent.

Peter opened the door a crack and saw her, before pushing it open the entire way and saying cheerfully, "Hello, Lily!" giving her the impression that they had just been talking about her. She didn't cross the threshold but peered in to see James slouched down in his seat. He immediately straightened upon seeing her.

"Pot--James, I mean," she said quickly, "may I have a quick word outside?"

James threw a look toward Sirius who shot one back before he stood up and followed her. The aisle was quite a squeeze with both of them standing face to face.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to say," Lily said, taking a long breath of air and confidence. "I heard. And I'm sorry. I wouldn't have been as rude if I had known beforehand."

James stared at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

She frowned at him, placing her hand quickly on his forearm as though that was her form of comfort before pulling it off quickly and saying, "Your mum."

James didn't even get a chance to say anything back before Lily gave him a sad smile, said, "I'll see you later," and walked away.

Dumbfounded, he turned back into the compartment and shut the door. He sat down, staring at the ground in amazement.

"Prongs?" came Remus' voice from somewhere -- he didn't know where. "What did she want?"

"James?" Sirius said, when he didn't respond immediately.

"She apologized."

"_What?"_

"She heard about my mum and apologized for being rude."

Sirius physically grabbed James off his seat and pushed him toward the door. "Don't be an idiot and let her get away! Apologize for what you said and did!"

James got his senses back as he flew down the train to where he thought she was headed. On his jog he passed a young girl, stopping to demand, "Did the Head Girl just pass?" She looked terrified. "Did she?!" he demanded more loudly, but kept going without getting an answer. He saw the back of Lily's head and went even faster.

"Evans!"

She paused and looked behind her. "Yeah?"

"Hey," he said, coming to her side. "I--er...thanks. I wanted to apologize."

"Oh?"

"Yes."

"For what?"

Oh god, she's infuriating!

"For being an asshole," he said.

She gave him a sad look and shook her head. Before she turned and continued walking she said, "It's fine, Potter. You can't help your nature."

James, furious, jetted back to the compartment his friends were in, slammed the door open and growled, "What the fuck!" before punching the glass part of the door and shattering it.


	4. Chapter 4

Masterpiece

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and everything related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastics, Warner Bros., etc.

**Summary:** It's true: Every girl wants to be the Lily who finds her James.

**Posted:** 10/6/07

* * *

Shards of blood-colored glass flew to the floor and the compartment fell still. James threw himself back in his seat, with Sirius now to his left, and tried to ignore the burning pain of his fist. Remus restored the window in a flick of a wand and Sirius studied James' hand. Together with Peter, Sirius was able to strap some cloth around his knuckles.

"What happened?" Remus asked, cautiously.

"She's a bloody bitch," James said coldly, to his friends.

Sirius stopped Peter form saying anything by a quick look at him. He continued to study James for a minute but it didn't take long for James to erupt into detail about the encounter; everyone listened closely.

"My nature!" he nearly bellowed. "My nature to be a jack ass, she said!"

Sirius shook his head in response. "Prongs you can be pretty mean to some people, mate." He added quickly, "Not that they don't deserve it most of the time…"

"I just need to win her over," James cut across him. "But how..."

Remus began, "The problem is that you--"

"I can't really just _get _her to--"

"Don't listen, Prongs!"

"What were you saying, Moony?"

Remus closed his eyes in annoyance, before opening them and exhaling. "You need to listen, Prongs!"

"I am listening," James said back. "Now what did you say?"

"You need to listen!"

"I already told you, I am listening, Moony! Why won't you just--"

"Prongs," Peter said loudly. "Moony was saying you need to listen. That's what--"

"I _am _listening, Wormtail."

Sirius sighed at James' thickheaded responses. "Just become her Prince Charming, Prongs. Win her over by being suave."

James looked toward his friend in blind comprehension and smiled. "I can do that."

Sirius looked back to Remus, who was staring intently at him in return: they both knew that James would fall on his face, but this gave them enough time to consider a new way for James to win Miss Evans' heart.

"Yes," James said, looking out the window to see a setting sun. "I just need to... What do you guys suppose? She has to be so difficult and not go out with me."

Sirius sighed: he knew James' reasoning in this matter. Every girl he had ever asked out responded quickly with a yes, but not Evans. No, Evans was a challenge. And Sirius sometimes wondered if that was the only reason James was in for the chase.

"It would be so much easier if she'd just say yes," James grumbled, like a five-year-old boy who was denied a lollipop and was telling his mother that she should just make everyone's life easier and hand it over. "Then we could date and she could fall in love with me...we'd get married and get our happily ever after!"

Sirius had heard the story a hundred times before.

"But _no,_" he grumbled once more. "_She_ has to be difficult and unaccommodating!"

"Don't be thick," Remus said lightheartedly. "Lily's never been accommodating just because."

"Yeah, Prongs. You've got to earn her feelings."

"But _how_, Wormtail? I couldn't earn them being myself. If she doesn't like that then she's out of her bloody mind."

This time Sirius laughed.

"What's so funny, Padfoot?" James asked defensively.

"You," Sirius said simply. "You keep asking how you're going to win her over and then why you can't keep her attention; and then you keep answering yourself! She doesn't want someone conceited, mate. And you polish your own broomstick a lot, Prongs!"

Remus let out a small chuckle. "I think 'toot your own horn' would be a better choice of words, Padfoot." He gave a long line of chuckles once more before gaining control over his thoughts. "But he's right, Prongs. You can't be larger than life with Lily."

"How am I supposed to keep her attention if I don't be a great guy?"

"It's all got to be in moderation," Peter explained. "You have to accent your good qualities without... well, you know... making yourself seem conceited."

"Wormtail is right," Sirius said. "Make her see your good qualities instead of shoving them in her face. Show, don't tell."

"And how would I do that?"

"Umm... Stop being an arse?"

"Oh, shut it, Wormtail."

"I have an idea for a start," Remus said, ignoring the exchanges between James and Peter. "You ought to go make sure she's not going to talk to Dumbledore about taking away your badge."

"Yes," Sirius agreed. "That would seriously cut into your plan."

"All right," James nodded, standing up and pushing the door open. "Besides, I think we have to check the train to make sure everyone gets off. If I don't come back...?"

"We'll grab your things, Prongs," Sirius nodded. "Good luck, mate!"

The compartment door slid closed behind him and the boys sat quietly for a minute before Peter asked Remus for a game of chess. Nearly five minutes later, Sirius, who was watching only halfheartedly, struck his hand to the seat next to him, a look of realization on his face.

"What about Benji Fenwick?"

* * *

"I did it," Lily said, closing the compartment door behind her after her exchange with James. "I apologized."

Mary looked toward her, "And?"

"And nothing?"

"You insulted him, didn't you?" Mary demanded, clearly reading the look on her friends face.

Lily smiled guiltily, "I didn't mean to." Mary laughed obnoxiously ("Go Lily!").

"I can't believe you insulted him," Amelia said quietly, shaking her head in disappointment.

"The berk deserved it!" Mary said in Lily's defense. "She did a charitable thing even apologizing to him when he didn't even bother to apologize to her!"

Lily shuffled in her seat and Dorcas stared at her. "Okay, so he did apologize! But, I couldn't help it." She told them quickly of the incident that happened: even Mary, who was smirking, held her laughter while the other two just shook their heads.

"Lily, Lily, Lily!"

The girls turned their heads to find the tall man leaning on the sill of the now-opened compartment door.

"Benji!" Lily said, standing up immediately and throwing her arms around his shoulders. "It's so great to see you!"

"Had a good summer, Miss Evans?" he asked, smiling broadly at her. His mat-like hair lined his striking gray eyes while his smile radiated.

"Of course," Lily said, pulling him into the compartment. "Might've been better if you stopped by like you promised."

"A man of your word, aren't you?" Mary said, giving a small smirk.

"I know I should've..."

"No matter," Lily said quietly. "Would you care to join us for the rest of the trip?"

"Oh, I don't think...no, I don't want to intrude--" Benji walked backwards out of the compartment and met a solid blockade.

"Ah, Fenwick, don't leave on my account."

Benji turned to stare into the face of James Potter. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Perhaps I will stay, then. After all, don't need you to get anymore of an ego, Potter. Soon you'll be walking around the castle telling stories about how I lie down as you walk all over me."

James, who had been smirking in lighthearted hatred, now scowled as Fenwick took his seat, not a centimeter away from Lily.

"Evans," James said, trying to take his eyes off of Benji, "can I have a word outside?"

"I believe her name is Lily, Potter," Fenwick cut in. "Or Miss Evans, if you want to use—"

"Don't be a berk, Fenwick," James said impatiently.

"Don't be a berk? You're telling _me_ to not be a berk? That rich from a disrespectful arse like you, Potter. You shouldn't even give him the time of day, Lily. I wouldn't—"

"Then I suppose it's a good thing you're not the Head Girl, Fenwick. Is that what you're shooting for, for next year?" James asked icily; without waiting for a response he turned to Lily. "Now, Evans? A quick word please." He pointed to his badge, both for showing Lily it was about their duties and also for bringing his superiority to the Benji's attention.

Lily stared straight at James, but saw Amelia's eager nod from the corner of her eye. "All right, Potter. A quick word, no doubt?"

James nodded, leading her out of the compartment. "I wanted to ask you a question," James began.

"No, Potter."

"What? I haven't even asked yet!"

"I won't go out with you, I don't even like--"

"Good," James snapped back. "I wasn't going to ask you out anyway! I was going to ask if you were going to talk to Dumbledore, because I still want to be Head Boy and help out." He let his eyes betray his feelings by glaring at her. "Now who's getting a bit conceited?" He began to walk away from her. "Thinking I want to ask you out! Thinking I worship the ground you stand on, eh, Evans? You might be confusing me with Fenwick in there, because I'm done wasting my time on _you_."

And with that he stalked away leaving Lily to stare at the spot where he once was. It was nearly a three minute passage of time before Lily regained her composure and went back into the compartment.

* * *

As James walked slowly through the corridors, not thinking of where he was headed, his mind was caught up in his last words. He didn't want to go back to the Marauders...he didn't want to hear Remus' sigh of annoyance and Peter's attempts to make him feel like he hadn't just completely messed up. And Sirius...well, Sirius was walking right toward him.

"Hey, Prongs." His voice wasn't solemn, or wild; it was content, was without wonderment.

"I messed up again." He knew Sirius wouldn't judge him, wouldn't lecture him or amuse him.

"No worries, Prongs," Sirius said, clasping his hand on James' shoulder and leading him from the spot. "We've got time, yet."

"I think I blew it for good."

"She still breathing, Prongs?"

James looked sideways at his friend. "I'd assume so, Padfoot."

"And am I still your best mate and truest confidant?"

"Yes."

"Then you've still got a chance."


	5. Chapter 5

Masterpiece

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and everything related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastics, Warner Bros., etc.

**Summary:** It's true: Every girl wants to be the Lily who finds her James.

**Author's Note:** For my inability to post in a reasonable time-frame (senior year is so busy!) I give you a chapter that is longer than my usual ones and by far, my favorite of this story – and possibly of my writing career!

**Posted:** 10/26/07

* * *

"What's she see in that berk anyway?"

He said it out loud to a vacant room. Sunlight breached no corners; the shuffle of his footsteps awoke his otherwise deadly-silent bedroom. James Potter was pacing his Head's quarters at three am, speaking ever so often, but mostly just thinking.

Term had begun, now two weeks in and never were there two weeks in the history of James Potter's life that he had hated more. He and Lily hadn't talked; they'd spoken about the meeting's but no casual conversing. Something he said must've struck a nerve with Lily, and James, too pompous and self-righteous would not admit this wrongdoing. No, he blamed this on Fenwick. Because his first two weeks had been the polar opposite of James'. It was difficult for James to see why.

He remembered Fenwick as a second year: always admiringly talking to James. Fenwick's biggest aspiration was the become a Chaser. James taught him one or two things he dubbed "very important" (which of course were not) and left Fenwick to fend for himself. But through this the admiration stood strong. That was until Fenwick's fifth year--last year--when he needed Severus Snape's help in Potions.

"More like Snape poisoned his mind," James spoke again, offhandedly.

But James didn't care, the loss of Fenwick's allegiance only made James' life easier, thought he wasn't completely rid of Fenwick as he became a Chaser.

"No comparison!" James almost strutted a bit. The next day held Quidditch tryouts and James would get his jab at Fenwick then... "I am obviously better than him at _everything_." He paused and closed his eyes in annoyance, _"Why won't Lily see that?"_

James paused his thoughts once more and turned to the window. The moon lurked out of sight but James knew this meant bad news for Remus. He could also vaguely see the Quidditch pitch: as he viewed one of the tall goal posts, his mind thrust back into thought. He wondered if Lily would come watch. Her and Fenwick seemed to be getting closer. Every morning James had to wake to see them eating at the Gryffindor table. And even their one year difference and lack of classes together didn't separate them. And only God Himself knew what their late night "walks" entailed.

James felt his anger flare.

"_DIFFENDO!"_ His wand slashed the night air and his bedside-table fell over, split in two pieces.

It seemed as though she had Apparated: the quickness of her entrance into his room and, "Potter!" stung his ears before he knew it. He was still staring at the table and upon hearing her voice, he repaired it.

"It's nearly three thirty in the morning," she scolded. "Are you out of your bloody mind, Potter?" James didn't even have time to get angry before she was speaking again. "And if you _were_ talking about Benji and I," she began smartly, and he was immensely relieved that it was dark, "you ought to put a Silencing Charm on your room! He may not be the sweetest to everyone, Potter, but he isn't even close to being as much a berk as _you_."

She turned to walk toward the door and then called back, "If you're so done with me, perhaps you wouldn't be up at three o'clock in the morning talking about Benji and I," before walking to her own room, a smile huge on her face, and shutting the door behind her.

Had James not been completely overwhelmed with her words, he might've stopped to consider why _she_ was awake at three in the morning. And while James drifted into an uneasy sleep, Lily, a smile still plastered onto her face, fell asleep upon hitting her pillow.

* * *

"What should I do?" Anyone unfamiliar to James' personality type would see this as whining. Sirius saw this as genuine concern and sighed.

"This not necessarily a bad thing, Prongs. From what I gathered, anyway, seems to me that Lily knows you still fancy her."

"So...?"

"So obviously when you said you were done with her, you lied."

"And lying's good?"

Sirius sighed again, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice before setting it down, a bitter look on his face. He coughed. "You know I _really_ hate pumpkin juice! God, can't they serve anything else?"

"Padfoot!"

"Honestly," Sirius poured the liquid in the glass on the floor in a silent-protesting way. "Perhaps a bit of tea even? Butterbeer would be ideal! Maybe even some Firewhiskey would hit the spot--"

"_Padfoot!"_ James now pushed him on the shoulder to gain his attention. "I don't give a bleeding damn about your breakfast choices and your loathing of pumpkin juice." He checked his watch. "They're expecting me at the pitch any minute now and--"

Lily walked past him to the table and sat down, whispering to Mary, Amelia and Dorcas. He lost his train of thought and stared. When Lily looked up to see him, he instinctively narrowed his eyes and her soft face hardened in response.

"Well you can start with not glaring at the girl, Prongs! Perhaps then she'll think you actually fancy her," Sirius said in his ear, pouring himself more pumpkin juice, more by nature than by choice.

James turned to look at him and softened his glare. "She infuriates me so!"

"Ah," came a voice behind them and two boys joined them on the opposite side of the table. "I see Lily is already a topic of choice at the table this morning." Remus looked between the two. "Sirius can you pass me the pumpkin juice?" He took the jug gratefully, poured himself a large helping and downed the glass. "Ahh," he said in satisfaction. "Good pumpkin juice today, eh, boys?"

Sirius looked toward Remus in contempt but didn't say anything. James however, while looking toward the front doors, seemed to be having an internal struggle about leaving for Quidditch tryouts or not. He turned to look back at Lily, who was still whispering with her friends but then stopped upon--to James' dismay--Fenwick's arrival. He shot a look back at James and then slung an arm around Lily's shoulder. James' eyes narrowed and he stood up.

"C'mon Padfoot, let's go." James looked down the Gryffindor table with a confident arrogance of command. "All those interested in being on the Gryffindor Quidditch team better get their arses down to the pitch. Now!" He watched the younger students immediately scamper to the doorways, but some of the older ones did not. "I am serious. Tryouts are starting by the time I get down there and if you aren't there..." He glared around at those he knew were trying out and they, too, left. Fenwick stayed persistent and James walked up behind him, towering him as he sat. "Fenwick, if you don't get your lazy-arse down to the field right now, I don't give a damn about your past positions on this team, you won't be on returning!"

Fenwick wrenched himself off of Lily and stood to meet James. "You can't do that, Potter. I am eligible to try out regardless of your insane rules!"

"I am Captain, Fenwick," he said harshly. "Perhaps you didn't get the note with your head so far up your fucking arse--"

"If you weren't so loony with power, Potter, you'd be like every other Captain who's ever been any good and just keep the same team members from last year."

"That's your first problem, Fenwick," James pushed his pointer and middle finger into the center of Fenwick's chest. "You're confusing me with _others_. What you fail to understand is that I am better than others." Fenwick's jaw was locked. James stepped back from him and began to walk to the pitch. "I am not fucking around, Fenwick. If you don't get your arse out here now, your chance is over."

Fenwick, jaw still clenched, pulled himself toward the hall without looking back at Lily. James, along with Sirius, followed behind him, glaring at his back as they went.

* * *

Lily watched their retreating backs, tossing a look to Remus who was staring at his friends, too. Mary cleared her throat and Lily looked back to her friends.

"As you were saying, Lily?" Mary prompted.

"What was I saying?"

"About Potter at three this morning--"

"You were talking about it--

"Before Benji showed up--"

"And verbally got his arse kicked by James Potter," Mary added in glee. The girls stared at her, but none more intently than Lily. "What? I don't like the bloke, Lily, you know that. Hell, I don't even like Potter but at least he's not..." Mary stopped in thought. "I don't know. Benji's a jerk--"

"And James isn't?" Amelia asked.

"That was some scene," Dorcas agreed.

"Well they're both arses, sure enough," Mary said, shaking her hand indifferently. "But Benji is a different kind of arse... I can't explain it, Lily. I am just glad you aren't dating the bloke!"

"I still don't understand why not," Amelia said. "You spend almost all your free time with him."

Lily paused. "I don't know! It's my seventh year, isn't it? The last one. And to get tied down..."

"That's not it," Mary said, staring at Lily, analyzing her movements. "That's bullocks and you know it. Something's holding you back from dating him..."

"Well yes," Lily admitted. "But I don't know what! Sometimes Benji is a berk, I know that..."

"Do you like the chap?" Mary asked.

Lily paused again. "He's sweet to me, most times. Quite likable. Good looking."

"So is James."

"Intelligent."

"Not as smart as James."

"Not arrogant!"

Mary laughed aloud. "Lily, dear, Benji is arrogant in his own way."

"Why are you so intent on painting him in a bad light?" Dorcas asked, staring at Mary.

"It's just a bit odd, don't you think?" She paused again. "James has_always_ liked Lily, I guess to me that seems normal and genuine--"

"_Genuine?!"_ came Lily's voice.

"Yes! Genuine. But Benji's feelings come out of the blue at the end of last year. Hadn't spoken more than two words to you before then."

"Remember how he used to be friends with James?" Amelia commented.

"He admired James," Dorcas corrected. "Seemed to think of him something of a hero."

"Until last year."

"Well it's good to see that he grew up and saw some sense," Lily asserted.

"Oh yes," Mary said, exhaling deeply. "But it's just an odd coincidence that when Benji starts having disagreements with James..."

Amelia completed her thought, "...he starts going for the girl James always liked."

"Well," Lily said, pouring herself some pumpkin juice, her head swarming with ideas. "You girls really know how to make me seem like something more than a possession or prize..." She raised her glass to them mockingly and said, "Cheers to that!"

* * *

"_FUCK!"_ James felt like punching out the window of the Captain's office's door, just outside the Quidditch pitch. He was sitting with Sirius after the tryouts, discussing the appointments of positions. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

"Prongs, calm it down, will you?"

"I fucking hate--"

"You can't deny someone a spot just because--"

"He's a berk--"

"He's going for the girl you fancy!" Sirius looked at his friend intently: James was smattered with sweat. Not only had he instructed the team, he joined the process and showed them, as he put it, "how the best of the best" compete, and therefore was covered with dirt; his glasses were askew. "He was good, Prongs. One of the best besides you." James glared at the wall. "Prongs." James turned to look at him. "You know I don't like the bloke... personally, he's a berk and should get hit square in the face with a bludger! But... he's good. If you deny him the spot, everyone's going to get annoyed with you."

"Well fuck everyone! That's what I say to that," he said harshly. "I'll appoint him if it'll suit you, Padfoot, but one false move and his arse is kicked off."

"Fair enough."

"And I _don't_ have to like him."

"Agreed."

"I ought to go tell him."

"If you can handle it..."

"Before I change my mind."

"Let's go, then."

The walk up the flights of stairs seemed like a death march for James. He had never been one to be scared of what was to come, but at this moment he felt like turning the other way and leaving his thoughts behind. He didn't want Fenwick to play. And he truly believed, with all of him, that he didn't _need_ Fenwick to play: the team would remain well-suited without him. But he must post the new team members in order to start a practice schedule and that meant allowing Fenwick access to the team, whether James liked it or not.

When they reached the portrait hole, James paused outside of it, staring at the Fat Lady who was looking curiously back at the duo. She swung open at words that James didn't seem to hear Sirius say. When he entered the common room he saw Fenwick sitting on the couch with Lily, talking to her, still in his Quidditch robes. James hardly thought Lily was impressed by this... He felt Sirius grab the parchment from his hand and post in on the board before calling the news to the Gryffindors. James saw Fenwick and Lily stand up.

He didn't look at James as he walked over to the board and seeing his name printed in neat scribble on the parchment. He turned to see Lily staring at him and said, "Chaser!"

He strode over to where she stood, small in stature but large in happiness and kissed her on the lips.

"_Levicorpus!"_James shouted, lifting Fenwick off of his feet and slamming him onto a table behind him. "Now consider yourself off the team!"

He strode out of the portrait hole, hearing the distinction of running footsteps behind him and knew that Lily was angrily following him. His pace quickened.


	6. Chapter 6

Masterpiece

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and everything related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastics, Warner Bros., etc.

**Summary:** It's true: Every girl wants to be the Lily who finds her James.

**Posted:** 10/27/07

* * *

Lily chased him for only a moment more before she pulled out her wand, "_Stupefy!"_ she shouted at his back and James kneeled over with a thump. She approached him, a glare of hatred lined in every inch of her face. Squatting down next to him and turning him over, before seeing his face etched with a glowing hatred of his own, she muttered_"Ennervate!"_ and he immediately stared up at her. "What the fuck were you thinking? Potter, you could've--"

James reached up to touch the back of Lily's neck and, while pulling himself up, pulled her down to his level and their lips met. It might've been the mind-blowing fireworks kiss that James had secretly wished it to be, but it lasted a mere second before Lily, outraged, threw him back onto the cold stone ground and stood up.

"You co-couldn't have... Potter! You just...kissed me." She paused, unsure of what was truly happening in this instant. "Why?"

"Don't be so fucking naive, Evans," he said coldly, pushing himself onto his feet too. "Of course I kissed you and of course I blasted the fuck out of Fenwick when he kissed you." He stared straight at her, half-glaring, half-in-love. "Don't be an idiot," he grabbed her and kissed her again; this time she was even more caught off-guard at this ballsy ability to kiss her twice in this moment that the kiss was longer. It stopped on James' account. "I have always fancied you, Evans. So stop fucking around with Fenwick and just go out with me."

Lily, horrified at James' arrogance, didn't even have time to catch her own anger as he continued his pace back to, probably, the Head's quarters. She stayed staring at the spot he had first kissed her for a very long time. Then the thought of Benji's crumpled body entered her mind once more, and she rushed back to the common room.

He was sitting on the couch when she entered, fully awake and moving. She rushed up to him and he stared back at her. "How are you feeling?"

"Just dandy!" he snapped at her.

Lily stared at him. "No need to snap at me, Benji. _I_haven't done anything wrong."

He was glaring. "It's just a little annoying."

"What is?"

"Potter and all his bullshit with you."

"Excuse me? Are you insinuating that _I_ am responsible for Potter's actions?"

"No, but you couldn't get a more obsessive guy if you tried, Lily. What are you saying to him when you're locked up in that Head's common room, eh?"

Lily's mouth dropped open. Every ear in the common room was turned their way. "Do you think I am leading him on? Making him think I'm his girlfriend--"

"Well you certainly are not his property--"

Her eyes flashed, "Nor am I yours." She turned away from him and toward the staircase. "And it would do you some good to not forget that: Potter's not the only seventh year who can cast a nasty bit of magic."

"What happened?" Lily was bombarded by Mary as she entered her old dormitory; Amelia and Dorcas were sitting up on Lily's old bed, anxiously awaiting the news.

"Where shall I start?" Lily said uneasily. "With Benji kissing me? Or Potter lifting Benji up in the air with that nasty dark magic and slamming him into a table? Or with Potter kissing me--twice--in the middle of the seventh floor corridor? Or with Benji and I quarreling down stairs because he accuses me of leading Potter on?"

There was a long pause at which each of the girls seemed to be processing this heavy bit of information Lily had laid before them. She explained with more detail the events and the words thrown around.

At the end of the explanation, Mary stood up and made movement toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Amelia called, alarmed.

"I thought I might give Benji a handkerchief or two... He's gotten his arse kicked so much today he's probably off crying somewhere."

* * *

Sirius, who had, after witnessing James' brutal attack on Benji, walked up the stairs to his dormitory, pulled Remus and Peter down to the common room and out to go after James.

"What was he thinking?" Remus said again, for what seemed to be the eighth time in a minute.

"He was pissed off," Sirius said, looking between the two.

"Fenwick should've known better," Peter chimed in. "He should've known what James was capable of... should've known what kissing Lily in front of James would cause."

"That doesn't excuse his actions, Wormtail," Remus cut in.

"No, but it explains them," Sirius said, looking to the portrait that hid the Head's quarters.

"Do either of you know the password?" Peter asked, following behind the two.

Remus was about to answer "No" when Sirius muttered, "Superiority," and the portrait granted them entrance.

"I see it was James' week to pick the password, eh?" Remus muttered under his breath as he followed Sirius into the common room. They peered around within the room and noted James' absence.

"Probably up in his bedroom," Peter reasoned. "Hiding from Lily in the only place he's safe."

"For now," Remus muttered.

Sirius led them up the creaky stairs and when he reached the upstairs, he stopped. He had never been up this far in the quarters before. Three doors laid before him: Lily's room, James' room and their washroom.

"Prongs!" he called, unwilling to knock on each door and hope to get a response.

The door farthest from them opened a sliver and James looked out at them. When he saw all three of them, he brandished the door open fully and they came in. Before any of them had time to speak or even wished to open their mouths, James spoke.

"I kissed her."

Remus face palmed his forehead, Peter looked at James as if in awe, and Sirius continued to stare at James.

"What were you thinking, mate?" Remus asked, looking back at James.

Peter almost circled James, analyzing his stature. "No marks. No boils. No visible signs of anything, Prongs."

"That's because she didn't curse me," and even then he could not help but smirk a little, his confidence and happiness rising.

"So you got lucky, eh, Prongs?"

"My kisses blew her away; left her speechless!"

"_Kisses?"_

"Didn't you say you kissed her... as in once?"

"Twice, actually." He looked toward Sirius. "I told her I fancied her, Padfoot. Now there should be no confusion in that department."

"Good," Sirius sat down on James bed and stared up at him. "Out of one hole and into another."

"I bet Lily's pissed," Peter commented.

"I bet I don't give a fuck," James said, glaring down at Peter. "She will get over--"

"And I bet you will once she stops giving you the time of day, Prongs," Remus said, evenly. "You may've gotten a kiss from her but you've got a long way to go until you get the most important thing from her."

James looked to Sirius as if expecting the thing Remus was talking about would suddenly become clear.

"Her heart, Prongs."

"Ah, Moony!" James said gleefully to his friend; even Sirius snickered. "A romantic at heart, aren't we?"

"Laugh if you want," Remus said indifferently. "But you won't be laughing for long because that's exactly how you've got to get Lily to be yours. You've got to earn her heart. And, mate, judging by what happened today, you've got a long way to go in that department."

James looked like he'd been slapped; none of the other Marauders said anything to refute what Remus assessed and James knew it was true.

"All right. I'll start that tonight... Tonight, when she gets back in the tower."

* * *

"For curiosity's sake, how was it?"

"Mary's not the only one who wants to know!" Amelia said, unable to conceal her own smile. "Is he as good a kisser as he looks?"

"Gossiping, Amelia!?" Dorcas said, mocking a shocked tone. "And I thought you knew better than that."

"It's not _technically_ gossiping--"

"Hush it, girls! Let Lily talk." Mary leaned in to where Lily was sitting on her bed. Lily looked between the friends, then stood up and paced. Mary couldn't help but laugh at her friend's antics. "Good, then?"

"It wasn't bad," Lily admitted. "But it was a shock both times!"

"Well you've told us that already," Mary persisted.

"Well he didn't put a move on me or anything, Mar," Lily said back. "It's no exciting tale, really. He just kissed me, I pushed him away. He kissed me again then walked away."

"Did you kiss back the second time?" Dorcas was smiling as she asked.

"No... I don't think so." She paused. "Well maybe a little, but he didn't try to snog me or anything! Just a simple kiss."

"Mind-blowing!" Mary said, mocking dramatics and nearly falling off the bed as she did so. The room fell silent, each girl lost in their own thoughts. Dorcas was staring at Lily, who was picking at a spare string on the edge of her robe, clearly trying to keep her mind off the kiss.

"You know Lily," Dorcas said, catching their attentions again. "Perhaps there's something there. I mean, if the kiss wasn't bad... maybe you don't dislike him as much as you think."

"That's poor judgment about dating," Lily retorted back. "Just because he can kiss doesn't mean he's a good boyfriend choice!"

"I didn't say that, but really he's not so bad."

"Except that he's an arrogant, pigheaded asshole." Everyone stared at Mary as she said this. "What? I just said what I know you are all thinking!"

"C'mon, Mar! There's bound to be something Lily likes about James."

"Apart from his personality, he can be decent," Lily said, and Mary erupted with laughter at this.

"I mean it though," Dorcas said, "it's not like he's bad looking or anything. That's one point in his favor, at least."

"He's got the Quidditch skills," Amelia added.

"As if that's _important_," Mary snapped back, looking between the two.

"No, but it's start," Lily admitted. "It's not like he doesn't have some good qualities. He's also outrageously smart. Smartest in our year, without effort."

"Loyal as they come, when we're talking about his friends!"

"You see," Lily said, pacing once more. "If he just--"

"Stopped being a complete arse--"

"Did a 180 degree change," she said, speaking over top Mary's intrusion. "And if he could actually be a nice person! Not curse people, swear like a sailor..."

"Become a decent human-being," Mary added.

"Maybe if you give him the chance he'll do all that," Dorcas suggested.

Lily shook her head. "This is all fun to talk about, but it's never going to happen. I am certainly not holding my breath for it either. I can tolerate him most times, and when I can't, I ignore him. And after this year, he'll just be one very bad memory."

Lily pushed the topic off of James and Benji for the rest of the night. She sat there with her friends talking and laughing. Around ten-thirty, her and Amelia made a daring attempt to go to the kitchens and grab some food. When they got back they found Mary rolling with laughter as Dorcas blushed. Mary told them the old embarrassing story from their third year and Dorcas blushed some more. It wasn't until one in the morning that Lily pushed her way back to the Head's quarters.

It was dark along the seventh floor corridor. Lily usually took a short cut through a tapestry, but didn't feel like it tonight. She used her pure memory to guide herself: reluctant to alight her wand and annoy the sleeping portraits. She did have to wake the portrait in front of the Head's quarters, who was more pleased to find her returning than inpatient with her late arrival. She pushed herself through the door and muttered _"Lumos!"_ After taking one step, Lily felt something brush along her leg and did all she could to not scream. She looked down along the ground, where the object had fallen.

Rose petals.

Following the small trail, she found a pile of them sitting on the floor in the middle of the common room. Amongst the petals sat a single while rose and a slip of parchment. She picked it up and immediately recognized James' handwriting: _You have what I want._

She exhaled in disgust, took another deep breath and shouted, "POTTER!"

She could hear the door of his bedroom open and see him silhouetted against the window. He came down the stairs four at a time and stopped in front of her.

"You rang dear love?" His smile was cheekily. "Wait, let me turn on the lanterns so we can see each other." With a few flicks of his wand, the room lit up and he could clearly see her: she looked furious. "Let me guess as to why you called me down here in this late hour. You're going to go out with me, then? Finally came to your sense, eh, dropped that prat Fenwick? Must've been our short snog in the corridor. I've been told I kiss rather well--"

"No, Potter," her voice was dangerously low; his arrogance was boiling her anger. "I have told you a hundred times! I am _never_ going to date you!" She turned away, toward the stairs and was walking up them saying, "And I didn't drop Fenwick, for your information, Potter. Merlin, you always know how to get on my bad side don't you?!" When she reached the top of the steps she stopped to look down at him, "Do you take lessons or something?"

"Oh, and you and Fenwick have never argued about anything?" Lily closed her mouth, unwilling to dig herself into any holes. His voice grew colder as he stared up at her. "Go ahead and waste your time with Fenwick. What will it be? A few weeks, maybe a month or so. Do you foresee it going any further than that?"

She wanted to look away from the narrowed hazel eyes that were boring into her own: reading them, possessing them.

"See, Evans," he was pushing his way up the stairs to meet her now. "You and Fenwick? You'll never last. You want to know why?"

"Why?" she said coldly, as he reached the top step.

"Because," he began, now towered over her. "He'll get bored. You might not understand much about him but you know, I do know Benji Fenwick."

Lily opened her mouth to retort but found that she had nothing to say.

He continued, "And I know that he'll get bored, especially, because you'll just let him," with every word he inched closer to her and upon his last four, he reached her, "walk all over you." He almost smiled at her. "Evans, you are no challenged to him. And you know, Fenwick and I are a lot alike in that respect."

"Oh?"

"Oh yes," he said, his face getting closer to her own. "We both want a challenge. Nobody wants the girl that will just roll over dead, eh?" Lily watched as he kept his face close to hers, she listened at everyone word he said. "That's why you and I will always be perfect. Do you ever not challenge me? Do you ever just follow what I want or say? No, you always rise to the occasion. You always meet me head on. You are always ready to fight, ready to be my equal."

He moved away, standing up straight and beginning to walk past her. "Date Fenwick if you want, but by the end, it'll always come back to this. Come back to this spot, to you and me. Because you and me... well, we have that fire, that passion. It's only a matter of time before you see that we are perfect for each other."

He let his door close softly behind him. She just stared at it for a few minutes, but when she grew aware of this, not wanting to be left behind like earlier that night when they had their first kiss, she pushed his door open.

"Potter, I--"

He turned around and Lily had to close her mouth. His shirt was untucked and unbuttoned, although still on, showing his bare and toned chest. He had caught her stare and raised his eyebrows at her.

She stuttered, "I--I--you are wrong, Potter." He looked taken-aback by her sudden statement. "We aren't perfect for one another. And if you're hoping for me to just wake up one day and realize it, I suggest you don't hold your breath because it's not going to happen."

"Yes it will," he smirked, again stepping close to her. He got so close in fact that she needn't move her face forward more than an inch and her nose would brush his bare chest. "C'mon." His face was dangerously close to hers and she anticipated a kiss... He nuzzled her neck with his nose in a begging way. "Go out with me."

"I won't," she said quickly, like a defiant three year old asked to put away her toys. "I won't. I won't, Potter, I just won't!"

He pulled his face back from hers and smiled. "You know I'm right."

"About?"

"About you and Fenwick, of course. You know it won't last long, and you're just fine with that. Which is why you're here." She wished to wipe the smirk right off his face. "Which is also why you can't keep your eyes off of me. And this is just my _chest_."

"Don't be a pervert, Potter," she snarled back at him, taking a step backwards as he took one forward. "And I'm not going to go out with you because you're disgusting!" She put her index finger in his chest, much like the way he threatened Benji earlier that morning. "And let me tell you this: I don't give a damn how good-looking you are on the outside, how great at Quidditch you are or how well you can cast spells, because regardless of your outer beauty, inside you are the ugliest person I have ever met, James Potter."

James kept after her as she backed out into the hall again.

"Until you can be gorgeous inside, Potter, I will _never_ go out with you. Never."

"Alright, Evans," his voice rose with challenge. "Name your terms."

"What? Potter, this isn't a game."

"Name your terms. Tell me how to become gorgeous inside."

"Try by being nice to people. Don't swear at people. Don't curse them. Be respectful. Be courteous. Be helpful to younger students. Always do your duties when you're told. Stop being so aggressive and pushy and hurtful to people. Stop thinking you're better than everyone else."

She came down to her last breath of air.

"And then you'll go out with me?"

"It's a start," she muttered, closing his door behind her ("I'll do it!" she heard James say in the background) and rushing into her own. She knew this task to be impossible for him and expected no outcome from it.

It took her a long time to notice the parchment James left for her was still in her hand. She looked at it once more (_You have what I want._), before becoming disgusted and flipping it over. To her surprise, written on the back in the same messy scribble she found two words.

_Your heart._

Perhaps James Potter could be a decent person. She didn't know how long she stared at the parchment, flipping it over and rereading it, but the next thing she remembered was waking up.


	7. Chapter 7

Masterpiece

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and everything related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastics, Warner Bros., etc.

**Summary:** It's true: Every girl wants to be the Lily who finds her James.

**Author's Note: **I can't remember the last time I updated a story thrice in a weekend, but I am enjoying this one immensely. Unfortunately, I can't write and update this daily so when I can I post a lot (ie, this weekend). I am not sure when you will hear from me again, but on to the good times below!

**Posted:** 10/28/07

* * *

"Good luck, Prongs."

The feeling seemed mutual between his three friends, once he told them of his and Lily's conversation the previous night: their faces spoke the words their mouth didn't "You will never accomplish that." Deep down, James knew they believed in him; after all, for the last six years, they did nothing to prove the contrary, they supported him, stood up for him, followed him. But even James admitted the terrible truth that he must over come: he's a berk.

Why just this morning when he was walking to the Gryffindor table, a younger student was pushed backward by his friend and into James. Had Lily not been watching, he would've like to do a quick Leg-Locker curse to the boy's friend as a lesson but he could almost feel the emerald branding his skin.

It was difficult to be nice. Why should he go out of his way to be nice up to people he didn't even know or care about? Why should he even think about being generous, kindhearted or helpful? There are loads of other people here that are giving by nature. In fact, he couldn't think of anyone like himself, besides possibly Benji Fenwick, who wasn't giving and kindhearted to those in need of help. With all the people who would be willing to give assistance, did it really matter that he did not? He was just one person (an extremely important and great person, but nonetheless just one person).

But then James looked down the table and saw her: smiling and laughing with her friends, something she hadn't done in his presence... ever. Her face was alight with glee and was the way he always wished it to be, glowing and full of life; it was the one thing he hoped, but never seemed to be able to give to her. Happiness.

He felt his insides boil at this. This, the one thing he failed at. Well, her, actually. Lily was the only task he never completed, the only prize he'd never won. His mind knew no other way to compute it, but his heart became angry. His heart knew that Lily wasn't a task that needed completion or a prize that could be attained. Lily was just a beautifully feisty girl. A girl he wanted, but more than that, a girl he wanted to fall in love with, if that were even possible. If a love like that could even exist.

But to him, it was worth trying for.

"I don't need luck," he said finally. "I'm going to marry that girl."

His friends said nothing in response but continued to eat their food; Peter threw a sideways glance at Remus, who didn't return it.

James turned his attention back on Lily. She was still smiling at something Dorcas had said. When she looked up and noticed James, her smile stayed intact; he felt his face morphing into a smile of his own; he knew, of course, that she wasn't smiling due to him. But the mere fact that upon seeing him, her smile didn't falter like it usually did made him smile.

His own smile faltered, though, just moments later when Benji Fenwick came walking up to Lily. From the distance he couldn't hear what Lily had said to him, but he could sure see what the results were. Fenwick stared at her for a long minute, then walked away, further down the table and sat down with some of his dorm-mates. A smile immediately erupted on his face again but not on Lily's.

"Come on, Prongs," Sirius called, already a few feet from the table, following Remus and Peter to the doors. "Slughorn's class starts in five minutes. Let's go."

James cast another look over at Lily and stood up.

* * *

"Did you kiss again?" Amelia had asked as Lily began pushing some eggs onto her plate.

She shook her head, "No."

"You seem awfully quiet, Lily," Amelia commented.

"So?"

"You are very rarely quiet."

"So is Mary," Dorcas said. "And yet she can't even find two words to string together. Doesn't mean anything's wrong. Means they're giving our ears a well-earned break." She said this so conversationally to Amelia, while picking down at her plate that Lily couldn't help but smile. She then tossed a look over to where James sat with his friends. He was staring at her and immediately smiled upon seeing hers.

"Hello, Lily," came a voice from her side. Her eyes traveled up to meet Benji Fenwick's own gray ones, that she had never seen so dark.

"Someone sitting here?" he asked, pointing down to her bag.

"Yes," she said coolly. "My bag. My property."

He gave her a look of contempt, before marching the other way. She looked back at her friends, all staring at the scene with bemused looks on their faces; Mary was giggling softly to herself, and Lily distinctively heard a mumble but couldn't decipher the words. When Lily turned back to look at James, he was being called over by Sirius.

She knew they were heading to Slughorn's class; James, Sirius and Remus, that was. Peter had a free period because he couldn't quite make it to the N.E.W.T Potions level. Lily's only friend in N.E.W.T. Potions was Amelia, who, too was standing up.

"We ought to go," Amelia said to the other two. "We wouldn't want Professor Slughorn's star pupil to be late, would we?" She smiled pointedly at Lily, who muttered her goodbye to her friends and led Amelia out toward the Entrance hall just behind James who was still a few feet behind his fellow Marauders.

"Wonder why he's walking by himself," Amelia said quietly to Lily, in reference to James.

"Doesn't matter," Lily said, waving her hand to the side. "His friends are just up ahead of him."

"And we are just behind him," she said suggestively.

"No--"

"James!" Amelia called.

James looked back at them, his face splitting into a grin. He stopped to wait for them and when they reached him, he, to Lily's surprise, walked alongside Amelia, not her.

"No need to walk by yourself," Amelia said, nicely, smiling at him. "We are all friends here."

"Thanks, 'Melia." His smirk turned into a smile. "Ready for class today?"

"Ready. But not excited."

"I am never ready for Potions."

"Not with Slughorn anyway," Lily commented, wanting to join in on the conversation.

"He loves you, though," Amelia said, turning her attention from James to her.

"Which you keep reminding me, Amelia," Lily said quickly, "and I thank you very much for that! But I expect he's going to be badgering us again for a party."

Amelia looked perplexed, "Us? I haven't been invited to one of his parties yet."

"Not you!" Lily said, giving a small laugh at Amelia's outburst. "I was talking about Potter and I. He can't go the first two weeks of school without inviting us can he?"

James pretended he hadn't heard, unwilling to answer to her addressing of him as "Potter" as he led them down the underground stairwells to the dungeons.

Lily looked at him, catching his attention to her, seeing his face stare blankly at hers.

"Did you say something?" he asked, in a tone that couldn't mask his contempt.

"Yes," she said quickly back at him. "I was saying that we always--"

In mid sentence, a sixth year girl, who was pushing herself up the stairs quickly, ran straight into Lily and knocked her down. She continued up the stairs as if she hadn't known what happened.

"How rude," Amelia said, helping Lily up.

"A simple apology would've worked great!" Lily called to the girl as she almost went out of sight.

"Keep dreaming, Mudblood," the girl called back indifferently.

"OY! YOU BITCH!" James, to Lily's dismay, had pushed himself up the staircase after her. Upon hearing his voice, the Slytherin girl turned around.

"Excuse me," she snapped at him. "Do you have a problem, Potter?"

"Yeah, I do," he said angrily, coming up to her. "You see, you knocked over my friend back there and, well, that doesn't sit well with me. I think it would be best if you came back down there and apologized to her."

"No chance," she said, glaring at him.

"Not a good choice," he snarled back.

"Oh, are you going to do something about it, Potter? Can you see how I'm shaking?"

"Oh, no he won't," came a cold voice from behind the girl. "Potter won't take anyone on unless he's got his mates behind him." Severus Snape walked into view, closely followed by Avery and Mulciber. "And I don't see anyone but him." The girl looked sideways at Snape and laughed a dry laugh.

James could hear footsteps behind him. He turned his head slightly and saw Lily, Sirius, Remus and Amelia coming up to him.

"Prongs, what--" Upon catching sight of Snape, Sirius' senses perked and his eyes grew cold. "Oh, Snivelly's stopped by, I see. How's the world treating you, Snivellus?"

Even Lily, James noticed, was staring intently at Snape, her eyes narrowed a little bit.

"Knew it was only a matter of time before Potter's reinforcements got here," Snape said to Avery. "Can't even go to the bathroom by himself, as I hear it." Snape continued to look at them and his eyes fell on Lily. They lightened but his face remained stone cold. "Hanging out with good people these days, Evans, I see."

Lily took a step closer to him, "At least you'll never see any of these people in prison. But look around you, Snape. A bunch of criminals! _Death Eaters_ if I ever saw any."

James walked to her side, holding his wand beneath his robes, in case Snape moved even a centimeter closer to her. But it was Avery's cackled that followed.

"Aye, Severus, this Mudblood's a funny one." He stared straight at her as he said, "Too bad you won't be breathin' much longer."

Even Snape's head turned to stare at Avery upon hearing these words. Lily's mouth clenched and James withdrew his wand; to his left, he saw Sirius do the same. But Remus came up to his side and whispered in his ear. "Don't start anything," he said calmly. "You're Head Boy!"

Perhaps James took this the way Remus had intended, but probably not. He did, indeed, put his wand away, but instead of walking away without any tussle James looked to the Slytherins in front of him.

"Twenty points from Slytherin for each of you," he said to them; Lily's head moved so quickly to look at his that she strained her neck. "And a week's worth of detentions. Dumbledore will let you know when that's going to occur," he said it coldly and looked toward his friends. "We're late for Potions, let's go."

"Potter you can't take twenty points from each of us!" the girl said, scandalized.

"On what grounds are you taking these points?" came Avery.

"You," James said, pointing to the girl, "because you're a bitch and you," he pointed to Avery, "because you called Evans the M-word." He looked toward Snape, "And you, because, well, Snape, I just don't like you. And Mulciber, because you're just so fucking ugly." He stared straight at them. "If you try anything else, it's more detention. I suggest you get down to class, now, you're late."

Snape stared James dead in the eyes as he led his two comrades down the steps, mumbling about curses they'd love to use. Once they were heading down the stairs, James motioned again for his friends to follow him; Lily did, but only to yell at him.

"Potter! You can't do that, that's abusing your power," she said, following him down the stairs once more.

"Lily's right," Remus said.

"Moony, you gave me the idea!"

"No, I wanted you to walk away and have some pride in the badge you're wearing," Remus said to him. "Not to take points and hand out detentions."

"They deserved it. I'll tell Dumbledore they were about to start a fight. Evans, you'll vouch for me, won't you?"

"I certainly will not." She stopped in her tracks and motioned for the others to go on without her as she held James back. She got dangerously close and whispered to him. "Last night you said you were going to become a nice person--"

"Not there," James yelped. "Not in that situation! Not when they--"

Lily shook her head. "None of that would've happened if you hadn't chased that horrid girl."

"Evans! Sometimes people need to be punished for the things they do!"

"Not in this case, Potter," she closed her eyes in annoyance. "Dammit, Potter! You don't remember at all what I was saying last night, do you?"

"Yes, of course, I do. I remember it all exactly! You said: 'Be nice to people. Don't swear at people. Don't curse them. Be respectful. Be courteous. Be helpful to younger students. Always do your duties when you're told. Stop being so aggressive and pushy and hurtful to people. Stop thinking you're better than everyone else,'" he took a breath as he finished but continued, "I remember it all. Word-for-word, I even wrote it down! But I can't just sit by and let that shit happen, Evans!"

Lily was taken aback by his ability to remember her words after just one night thinking about them, but that didn't take away from the situation. "You remember the words, but you obviously don't understand them, Potter. What just happened proves that to me. You can't just push people around--"

"Not even after they pushed you around? What the fuck--"

She silenced him with her hand. "I'm done discussing this, Potter. After I got that note of parchment from you last night, I thought maybe you'd have a chance to change. If you truly wanted my heart, then perhaps you did have a chance to become a nice guy." She turned away from him, walking down more steps. "But I was wrong."

"No you weren't!" he said, rushing after her. But she had reached the door to the classroom, gone inside and not replied to his outburst.

"There you two are!" Slughorn's voice boomed as they entered the room. "Not late for any inappropriate reasons are we?"

"Of course not, Professor," Lily said, holding the disgust out of her voice. "I apologize for our late entrance, we had a bit of a problem. You know, Head's issues."

"Ah of course, Head Boy and Head Girl!" Slughorn said. Lily tried to walk past him and sit down next to Amelia, but she was stopped by Slughorn's gentle hand and led over to where James was still awkwardly standing. "Speaking of being Head Boy and Girl, I insist you two meet me for dinner next Saturday night at Hogsmeade's Three Broomsticks."

"Another party?" Lily asked, trying to keep the unwillingness out of her voice.

"Not a party, per se. Just for us three. I always treat the Head Students out to dinner within the first month of term. Just to show my support for their appointment," Slughorn said, smiling at each of them.

"I really--"

"I insist, Miss Evans," Slughorn said, giving her the bright smile he always gave to guilt her into things. "My top student and Head Girl, well you just might kill this old chap if you don't say yes."

"All right, I'll go," Lily said, successfully guilted in.

Slughorn turned to James, who looked at Lily and could tell she was still aggravated with him. "I suppose. Can't break traditions, can we?" James offered.

"No," he said, putting hands on both of their shoulders. "Can't break them. But perhaps we can make some more!"

He smiled brightly at them once more, before instructing them to sit with their partners and continue with the assignment at hand.

* * *

Potions went by dreadfully slow that day, but by no means was this a negative thing in James Potter's eyes. Actually, he had struck a golden idea while adding lacewing flies to his potions; in fact, he got so over zealous, he added three more than necessary and ruined his potion. He didn't tell the other Marauders his genius plan; instead, he just went along like normal and made preparations in his mind.

He returned to the Head's quarters earlier than normal that night: he had plans to configure. There was not much he could do without Lily present, however, so he sat down in the common room trying to remain calm while waiting. Two hours passed with no sign of the redhead and James was growing impatient.

"EVANS!" he said loudly to the empty room.

Her door creaked up the stairs and James turned around so quickly he almost lost his balance. She was walking down the stairs and speaking calmly.

"What, Potter?"

"You've been here all this time?" He felt his temper rising but ignored it. "Never mind, doesn't really matter."

"What do you want, Potter?" She approached him, stopping in front of him and eying him suspiciously.

"I have an idea."

"Congratulations."

"No, seriously, Evans."

"Are you done wasting my time yet, Potter? I'd really like to finish that Potions' essay."

He let the breath leave his mouth, trying to calm himself. He sometimes hated her snippiness. "You remember earlier today when Slughorn told us about the dinner?"

"Yes," she said, her voice holding disappointment in her acceptance of the invitation.

"Well, while we're in Hogsmeade, you should go on a date with me. After the din--"

"Ooh," her voice rose and she stepped back from him. "Oh, no! No, no, no, Potter. That's not going to happen."

"You didn't even let me name my terms yet--"

"Potter, this isn't a game!" She didn't move any further from him but her voice still rose.

"I know it's not. It's a test." When she didn't interrupt, he moved closer to her and continued. "The dinner is on Saturday, isn't it? Well, that's five days away. I can screw up a lot in five days, can't I?"

"I've seen it done," Lily said, off-handedly.

"And if I don't..."

"Then I date you?"

"Just one date, after Slughorn's dinner."

She shook her head, beginning to walk back toward the stairs once more. "I can't believe you interrupted me for this."

He followed her, "C'mon, Evans."

"No."

"We'll already be there, why not just stay for an extra hour or two?"

He followed so closely behind her as she hurried up the stairs that she didn't even need to turn around for him to hear her.

"No. I don't care if it's a convenient time: I'm not going out with you that day. Besides, the dinner is at eight and Merlin knows how long it'll last with Slughorn talking."

"Then before!" he insisted, still walking along behind her even as she reached the landing near her bedroom.

She turned to look at him. "No, Potter. Sorry."

"You don't mean that," he said harshly, the rejection finally sinking it. "Why are you so fucking afraid?"

"I am not afraid of you, Potter!" she spat back, in indignation.

"You're afraid of dating me, Evans," he said coolly, approaching her; she was nearly backed into her closed door. "You're afraid of going out with me, once or twice and enjoying it. You know I'm going to prove you wrong and you're going to fall in love with me. You're just too scared to let that happen."

"Where do you get this stuff from? It's not that I am afraid of you, it's that I don't like you!"

"And so I am proposing," he said slowly, "that if I can go five days without doing any of these," he handed the parchment to her, mirroring her words of the previous night once more, "then you'll hang out with me for a few hours before the dinner with Slughorn."

"You won't be able to do this," she said, half-laughing.

"Then why not humor me?"

"No, Pot--"

"Humor me," he now said harshly, moving closer to her once more. She moved backward and hit her door, staring up into his face.

"I'll consider," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Lily."

Very rarely did he speak her first name. This man who stood before her, tall and strong and loud and true, who was always chasing her, always asking her out, never called her Lily, until this point.

She looked up into the hazel eyes before her and exhaled.

"Don't be so afraid," he whispered gently to her. "I am more than willing to give this a go if you are."

"Five days?"

"Yes, five."

"Five_whole_ days, being a nice person?"

"If I can manage it, yes."

"And then we have a date at Hogsmeade on Saturday?"

"I will try my hardest to make that a reality," he said quietly to her.

"You really want to go out with me, Potter?" She asked it so innocently, truly seeing the longing in his eyes at that very moment.

"More than I'll ever be able to tell you, Lily... So I'll show you."

"For five days?"

"Five whole days."

"Okay."


	8. Chapter 8

Masterpiece

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and everything related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastics, Warner Bros., etc.

**Summary:** It's true: Every girl wants to be the Lily who finds her James.

**Posted:** 12/11/07

**Author's Note: **Who can remember the last time I updated? I am very sorry for the delay, but I have had so much to do. Since we have last spoken I've done 5 projects, 3 research papers, taken 15 tests, read 2 books and been accepted to the college of my choice. I apologize for my late posting, and hope you find this chapter, if not satisfying, then a very cute transition. I have also been harboring about two-three more story ideas for upcoming Lily/James stories that I think you should like. I promise to make a better effort to post: Exams are done after next Thursday and then my attention is all here!

* * *

When Lily awoke the next morning, she was more reluctant than usual to leave her bed. Her eyes clenched tightly shut against the morning sun. She yawned despite herself, pressing her arms into the air; at that moment, something brushed her arm. She opened her eyes quickly, blinded by the sun and found a white rose sitting on her bed. Another piece of parchment sat with it. _Just in case._

"What the?" she breathed, staring at the parchment. Under her breath, she sighed, "Potter."

She smiled. Not willingly, of course. But even the strength of a million men could not wipe the smile from her face and she was not sure why.

The smile remained on her face as she got ready for class. She opened the door to hall and peered toward James' room. There was no hope in seeing if he was there when his door was closed, so she continued down to the Great Hall, not noticing the rose she still carried in her hand.

When she arrived, she found commotion around the Gryffindor table. Her Head Girl instincts kicking in gear, she immediately pushed her way to the table.

"Excuse me, excuse me! Let me through, please."

When she reached the table, her jaw dropped as did the rose in her hand. But it was no matter, because sitting on the table in front of her was a whole bouquet of flowers, addressed to her.

"Lily," Amelia said, rushing up to her. "Lily, what--"

"A present from James Potter," Lily said, looking down at the flowers and smiling. She turned her attention to the end of the table and found James sitting with the Marauders as usual. He didn't look back at her, but she could see the corner of his mouth twitch into a smile, obviously pleased with his accomplishments. The commotion was ever present around the table and Lily took this chance to turn around and say, "Nothing to see here! Please return to your breakfast."

The Gryffindors followed suit, erupting in conversation as to why Lily had received flowers from James Potter but was not ripping them apart petal-by-petal in front of his face. And if all of Gryffindor house, and the surrounding houses, as well, had picked up on this detail, she only imagined what her friends had thought. She didn't need to imagine for long, though.

"Why do you have a bouquet of flowers awaiting your arrival this morning?" Amelia asked, curiously.

"Yes," said Mary, who, along with Dorcas, was joining Amelia and Lily around the table. "And why are you accepting them from James Potter, of all people?"

"Something happen in the Head's Quarters last night?"

Lily nodded, holding the bouquet in her hands and smelling one of the blooming roses. Mary looked at her, half-in-wonderment, half-in-disgust.

"Lily, snap out of this! We're talking James Potter."

"Flowers are a nice gesture," Dorcas said, receiving a glare from Mary.

"So what if they are?" Mary snapped back. "Doesn't matter how nice the gesture, if the bloke's a berk."

"Will you two give it a rest already?" Amelia asked, busying herself with some breakfast. "Lily should be the one explaining what happened last night."

"I came back to the Head's Quarters," Lily began quietly, sitting down at the table at last. "Working on my Potions' essay of course, when I heard Ja--Potter, yell. He asked me out again, as I'm sure you can guess." ("Pig," she heard Mary whisper under her breath.) "So of course we started bickering and then the berk gets this idea that I'm going to date him this Saturday before we go off and meet Slughorn in the Three Broomsticks."

"What! You've agreed to go on a date with him?"

"I've agreed to nothing," Lily said forcefully. "Well, of course, I did agree that if he could prove to me he was worth it before Saturday I would."

"How do you prove something like that?" Dorcas asked curiously, looking down to see the Marauders.

"Well, to put it most simply: by following some rules. Rules I unofficially set when we were in a bickering match the other night."

"So he's bound to fail then?" Mary asked, conversationally.

"Yes, I believe so," Lily said, taking a long sip of Pumpkin juice.

"And if he doesn't?"

"He will."

* * *

"You're really breaking your bank to get her all these flowers, Prongs." 

James threw a smirk at Remus upon hearing these words. He set the flowers down at the table, putting on a small enchantment where the flowers were encased to anyone but the one person they truly belonged to: Lily. He and the Marauders were among the few Gryffindors who had woken up this early and had entered the Great Hall.

"What's the occasion for the flowers, anyway?"

"Well, Wormtail, I am getting Evans to go out with me."

"By buying her flowers?"

"Not just buying her flowers, Moony. Flowers are only a part of it. They're just an addition to how I'm supposed to be."

"What d'you mean?"

"Evans and I had an agreement last night," James said, looking between his friends. "If I behave over the next five days, she'll go out with me before Slughorn's dinner on Saturday."

Remus and Peter looked at him in disbelief, their faces etching again in the familiar look of doubt. James frowned slightly, but then turned to look at Sirius. Sirius was staring at the bouquet, which had then become something to spectators, who were gathering around staring at it, seeing who they were for, quickly figuring out whom they were from.

"Padfoot?"

Sirius brought his attention slowly back to James as Lily pushed her way through the crowd of Gryffindors, politely saying, "Excuse me!" He met James' face and smiled. "Good one."

James felt the corners of his mouth twitch upward, upon hearing his friend's support and approval.

"I'm going to try very hard," he insisted to his friends. "But I am going to need some extra help."

"But of course," Sirius said in response, as though he expected no less. "We're here for you, mate, you know that."

And though Sirius' words were never a false promise, they proved to be even more significant and truthful than ever before, when N.E.W.Ts Transfigurations came around, later that morning, and Sirius found himself partnered with the redhead.

* * *

Lily didn't know how to react to Sirius' election as her partner in Transfigurations. He and James were so much alike in a lot of aspects, she wondered if working with him would be difficult or not, but it wasn't. Sirius' mellow disposition made their partnership very easy and reassuring. He kept quiet most of the lesson, only speaking when he saw a problem, and Lily, knowing this about him, never doubted his comments, however few there were. 

There was only fifteen minutes left in the lesson when Sirius and Lily talked about anything besides Transfiguration, and of course, the topic was James. And of course, Sirius brought it up.

"He is capable of being nice."

He said it so simply, not looking up from the parchment he was huddled over and not making a single motion toward James, but Lily immediately knew whom he was speaking of.

"Of course to you," she said, cordially. "You're his best mate."

Sirius still didn't look up from the parchment. "I didn't just mean to me. He's always nice to me."

Silence hung between the two once more; Lily found little to say to Sirius about James. She knew that no paint in the world could alter the portrait Sirius' mind had contrived for James. She knew he saw him as a brother, a friend, a confidant. But she had a hard time seeing James for more than a berk.

"Sometimes it's difficult to take him seriously, you must understand that," Lily said quietly. "I never know if he truly cares for me, or if he just wants a date."

Sirius scribbled something out on his parchment, his brow creased in concentration. "I wondered that, too, for a bit. Whether or not he truly cared about..." He paused, rereading something he'd written. "You." He set his quill down in the ink and then scratched his chin with the tip. "I don't worry about that, anymore, though."

"Oh?"

Sirius didn't respond to her questioning, but continued on in his thought. "He told me about last night and I think what you're trying to do is a good idea." His eyes finally met hers. "Actually, I know you're not trying to do anything, but avoid a date with him, and I understand that. But what you're indirectly doing is challenging James to overcome his anger. Challenging him to forgive himself."

The bell rang softly and Sirius waved his wand to put away his books. "And I thank you for that," he said genuinely, his gray eyes still staring into hers. "I haven't been able to do that."

"Sirius, I don't understand."

He smiled, pushing himself up from their desk. "The more you push him to become a better person, the less he'll think about his mum, the less he'll blame himself for her death. And in turn, he will become a better person, whether you end up loving him or not." He gave her a last small smile before turning to join James at the thresholds of the classroom. James threw a smirk at her--a smirk that at any other time would aggravate her--and walked out of the room behind Sirius.

Lily was left with her thoughts, which took on the voice of Sirius and spouted back the words that had, only moments before, come from his mouth.

* * *

She hadn't been as eager as she was at this moment to tell her friends what Sirius had said. They talked as they walked along corridor after corridor, heading toward N.E.W.Ts Charms. 

"I've got to tell you all something," Lily said quietly. The Marauders were only a few paces ahead of them and she knew they would be interested to hear if she mentioned Potter's name.

"Tell us now?" Amelia whispered back.

"Why are you whispering?" Mary asked in her regular tone. Remus looked behind him for a moment, but continued walking with his friends.

"So they don't hear, obviously," Dorcas said, joining in on the whispering and nodding her head toward the Marauders. "Tell us at dinner, then?"

"Perhaps," Lily said quietly, her eyes still glued to the back of James' messy black hair.

All of sudden, Lily felt arms grasp around her and pull her into the emptied classroom on her left. Dorcas and Amelia quickly followed suit; Lily looked at her captor, Mary.

"What the--"

"Now, here we are in silence. Spill the beans, Lily!"

"Beans? What beans?" Amelia asked, looking between the two.

"It's a Muggle expression," Mary said indifferently, still beckoning Lily to talk with her hands.

Lily explained quietly the conversation her and Sirius had in the Transfigurations classroom. The girls looked in between each other, and even Mary's glare at the thought of James Potter softened.

"He blames himself for his mum's death?"

"Sirius seems to think so."

"And Sirius is usually right when it comes to James."

"Oh, how awful."

"Why would he blame himself?" Mary asked, in confusion. "That just doesn't make any sense, it's not like he murdered his mum or anything. Did any of you get that impression that he--"

"Of course not," Dorcas said quietly. "James is a master at disguising his emotions."

"Maybe that's why he's so angry and rude all the time," Amelia said quietly.

"At any rate," Lily said, leading them toward the door, having checked her watch to see that Charms began in three minutes, "Sirius seems to think that I will be the person who can drive him out of it."

"Congrats to you," Mary said quietly, following her out of the room and leading the other two girls. "So no pressure, eh?"

"What are you thinking, anyway, Lily?"

"I don't know, to be honest."

And she meant it. She didn't really feel pressured to gain Potter's allegiance and rid him of his grief but there was no denying that she felt bad. She also wondered why on earth he blamed himself for his mother's death. This led her to wonder what he might be like had his mother not been taken from him.

It took all day of watching Potter from afar to make her realize what she wanted to do with the situation. If Sirius was indeed true, she was going to be equally nice to Potter. She got this opportunity later that night when she ventured into the Head's common room to find Potter working on some homework.

* * *

The room was a chilling silence, rather cold for an October night, and James silhouetted in the dim candlelight. He made no notice of her entrance and she felt compelled to get his attention. 

"Thanks for the flowers," she said, to his back. He continued peering down at the parchment before him, reminding her of Sirius earlier that day.

"You're welcome." He still didn't turn around to look at her. She sat staring at Potter's back, wondering why he wouldn't give her any notice.

"They sure are beautiful," she said, still trying to get his attention.

"They were my mum's favorite," he said quietly.

Lily looked at him, taking a step forward toward him. "Tell me about her."

He stopped writing, but still didn't look at her. "What?"

"Tell me about her," she quietly repeated. "Tell me about your Mum."

"There's nothing to say," he said, coldly. "She lived and she died. That's all."

Lily didn't seem phased by his snappy tone. "I'm sure there's much more to her than that..."

She came to his side, sitting down on the chair next to him: he stood up almost immediately, moving away from her.

"Potter?"

"I have to go," he said, grabbing his jacket off the couch and pushing himself out of the portrait hole.

She found herself following him before she even considered why.

"POTTER!" she called, following him through the corridors. He didn't slow down and made it to the bottom of the entrance hall in a matter of two minutes. She panted along behind him, no longer calling him name.

She continued behind him even out to the grounds, where had it not been raining harshly, one would see the sun was setting.

"Wait! Potter, please!"

"Look," he said, turning around. "I still want to have that date with you, Evans, but if you keep bugging me about my mum I'm going to lose that chance." She stopped dead in her tracts, barely hearing him over the howling wind. "Please, Evans, just go away!"

Lily watched him sprint along the Quidditch field over to where the broom shed was. From the distance, through the heavy rainfall she could barely see him but she knew he was going to get his broom and go for a ride. She made her way up the bleachers, getting soaked to the bone as she went. She knew, if only for a moment, why she was chasing him.

"POTTER!" she yelled. "POTTER!"

He could hear her through the wind; see her soaked at the top of the bleachers calling his name.

"POTTER, PLEASE!"

He landed down beside her, tossing his broom over his shoulder, wiping the rain off of his face as he walked toward her.

"What, Evans?"

"The other night you told me that we were equals. That I always meet you head-on. Well, here I am, Potter. I am meeting you head-on... so why are you running away?"

He stared at her for a long minute before beckoning her forward. "Come on, Evans. You'll get sick if you stay out in this weather much longer."

"I just wanted to know about her."

"One day, maybe."

Lily followed him down the bleacher steps and toward the castle. Maybe she wasn't that much of an impact on Potter. Maybe Sirius' thoughts had influenced her more than they should have. But the moment they entered the castle, James took out his wand and used it to dry her hair and robes. She avoided his eyes as he did so.

"Thanks."

When they kept walking, James began talking in a small voice.

"She was amazing... and if there's anything I remember most, it's her laughter..."

And through the night air, they walked: he talked about his mother, about her long dark red hair, about her love for life, about her devotion to St. Mungo's as a Healer, about her love for him, about everything... It took a long time for him to stop talking, and an even longer time for Lily to want him to stop.

* * *

**Ending Note: **Next chapter is going to be quite good (loads better than this) so stick around: ) 


	9. Chapter 9

Masterpiece

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and everything related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastics, Warner Bros., etc.

**Summary:** It's true: Every girl wants to be the Lily who finds her James.

**Posted:** 07/25/08

**Author's Note:** I can honestly say I began writing this in December - but I am quite a failure, I know. I have the rest of this story planned out and ready to be written. Now it just comes down to writing and posting - both of which I am not very good at.

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James awoke the next morning: feet tangled within a wool blanket, his legs in between two sofa cushions and his head resting awkwardly upon the sofa's head rest. In short, he had had the best night of sleep that he could remember. He didn't open his eyes or make any motion toward getting up, but he felt different; he felt taller, like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Talking about his mother to someone other than Sirius or his father made him feel better and he had been up talking to Lily for most of the night. He assumed that was before they fell asleep on the couch.

He opened his eyes a sliver, still unwilling to open them completely. Lily was gone. He sighed, staring up at the high ceiling above him. Even past the weight that had obviously been lifted off his shoulder, his mind still fell on the words he left unspoken; the beliefs he did not expose. The words he could not expose – and certainly would not expose to anyone, least of all Lily.

He pushed himself upward, unsure of why he was getting up at 9am when his -- and Lily's for that matter -- first class didn't begin until 10. All he knew was sitting on that couch would just keep his mind stuck on his mother. He was much more interested to catch up with Lily, who he assumed to be in her room, or if not, then at breakfast.

Usually she was insufferable: always pushy and stubborn whenever they talked. But not last night. James bounded up the stairs toward the washroom, his mind on the long conversation between him and Lily as he went in the shower.

It was refreshing for him. Not just the shower, but also the conversation they held the previous night. As he spoke of his mother, the look on her face showed him that it was as though she was finally seeing what she was missing. James looked at himself triumphantly in the marble mirror as he stepped out of the shower.

"Good to see she's finally seeing sense now!"

It would be easy, he thought. Just keep on the charade a few more days. Not like he had to talk to many people or even see many. No, he was quite sure he'd picked out the best five days to do it: he was not overly stressed with classes or duties, the Quidditch team had already been picked... Oh yes, he was sure to finally get one past Perfect Lily Evans.

Not that he didn't want to date her long term, but this was quite frankly the closest he had been to a date with the redhead and he needed a foolproof way of getting her to Hogsmeade. If he had to cheat a little and fake sincerity, so be it. He knew she would see the whole picture soon enough and that she would stop worrying about how he treated others. Cause what the hell did it matter to her? She should be thrilled - no, elated - no, grateful that James was giving her his all his attention and affection.

He pushed his hand through his hair with a satisfied grin.

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"She's a bit on the mickey, don't you think?" Peter was asking, not looking up at his two friends as he sliced up a sausage on his plate. It wasn't even 8:30am and yet Peter, Sirius and Remus were sitting along the Gryffindor table, ceremoniously leaving the empty spot next to Sirius for a sleeping James. "Thinking Prongs needs to go all out and become a little git who lets people walk all over him."

"No," Remus said firmly. "She's well off trying to get Prongs to change his smarmy ways."

"She should fancy him as he is," Peter retorted back, staring sideways at his friend. "Not try to turn him into a doormat!"

Sirius looked on disinterested as his friends ate; it was too early in the morning for him to be bothered so he merely looked around the hall in his normally haughty bored way, waiting for his friends to end their bickering.

"She would go a bit barmy if she tried to--"

"Bullocks! You actually think Prongs would drive her mad? I thought you were friends with him, Moony!"

"I am," Remus said earnestly. "But you can't deny he's got to deflate that head of his, Wormtail! To think otherwise would be--"

"Would be what, exactly?"

"Stupid," Remus said simply, ignoring his friend's outburst of disapproval.

"Oh, sod off, Moo-"

"Could you put a lid on it?" Sirius said, turning his attention back to them. "Ever heard of a compromise?"

"We don't need to com--"

"Not you, berks," Sirius said, taking a sip of his bitter pumpkin juice. "James and Lily." He took another sip before leaning into the table, elbows propped on the edges, his hands holding his chin, as though he were pondering. "You're both right, as it turns out. Prongs does need to relax his anger, and grow up a bit. But Lily needs to realize that it's not all fun and games." He looked at his friends, every inch of his face showing the deep seriousness he spoke with. "She can't go out into the Wizarding World thinking everyone's like a bunch of six year-olds who play nicely. She's got to get a backbone and he's got to lose some of his." His face softened and a small smile appeared. "That's why I know they'll work out perfectly together."

"If they ever get together," Peter muttered, apparently uninterested in Sirius' lecture. But Remus looked at Sirius ponderingly.

"Yes," Remus agreed. "I see what you mean. Hmm... But when is Lily Evans ever known to compromise?"

"Dunno," Sirius shrugged, leaning back in his seat and continuing his survey of the Great Hall. "Then again, when's the last time she's ever agreed to something that could possibly lead her to a date with Prongs?"

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He ran his hand through his hair one last time before pressing the knuckles of his right hand on the door. Waiting only a moment, he rasped the door again, his now hurried knock showing his impatience.

"Evans?"

It became rather apparent - and annoying, for that matter - that she wasn't in her room or she was ignoring him. He didn't much feel like heading down to the Great Hall to see all the younger students, since he was sure all the seventh years were still asleep in their beds. And rather than run to the Gryffindor tower and wake them, he decided to take a stroll around the castle and continue to avoid any sort of trouble he could possibly land himself in. Quidditch, he decided, as he hustled down the moving staircases. Go fly around for a bit and then he couldn't possibly get himself into any trouble.

He was halfway down the third floor when he realized he'd need permission from a professor - not that this would've stopped him in the past, but he wasn't taking any chances when a date with Evans was on the line. Luckily McGonagall's class was held on the second floor so he could pop in a get a bit of parchment signed; she wanted the cup almost as much as he did, and honestly, who could say no to him?

Halfway down the last corridor of the third floor, James found a small brown haired girl balled up on the floor, seemingly crying. He paused for a minute, wondering what to do. He wasn't one for kids - having been the youngest in his immediate family and, for that matter, his entire family. He took another step toward the staircase but then heard another soft sob from her and sighed. Turning on his heels, he strode toward her. The sound of his footsteps must've startled her as she bolted upright when he arrived and shook with fright.

"Sor-ry, so-o sorr-y," she sobbed, trying to collect her books; as she straightened up he could see the Hufflepuff emblem on her robes. "I didn't m-mean to-to get in your wa-ay, s-sir."

James blinked. "Sorry?" His instincts finally kicked into life and he bent down to help her up, while simultaneously grabbing her books as he went. He saw her bag had been torn and quickly muttered a spell to fix it, tossing the books inside as he went. "What happened?" His voice sounded colder and harsher than he had intended and he thought she noticed.

"No-nothing, sorry--"

"Did someone split your bag on purpose?" He could see she didn't have many books inside, so the overall weight wouldn't have broken it. But why the hell wasn't she being straight forward with him? He exhaled, trying to control his temper. "Please, I can help you..."

"A few Slytherin b-boys," she admitted. "Found out I was mug-gle-born."

His face hardened, but he could tell this was the reaction she feared. She backed away from him even though he was still holding her bag in his hands. James wondered if she thought his face had hardened because she wasn't of pure blood.

"What class are you heading to?" he inquired, taking a small shuffle toward her. "I'll walk you there. Don't worry about the boys, I'll make sure they leave you alone."

She seemed taken aback by his kind response as she muttered out, "Transfigurations... Thank you."

He smiled warmly - or so he hoped - as he led her down the stairs and onto the second floor corridor where McGonagall's classroom was.

"You're welcome," he said, pausing outside the door. "I've got you covered, here, too. I'll explain everything."

And before the girl could voice her despair at him telling her entire class what had happened, James thrust open the door and walked inside, her trailing at his heels.

"Mr. Potter--and Miss Abbot? Ten minutes late, Miss Abbot! What--"

"Sorry, Professor, it was my fault," James lied easily, following the girl to her seat and setting the bag down. "I needed to talk to her for a bit and I lost track of time." He threw a smile at her, and her friend nudged her excitedly. James couldn't help but notice the--second years, he decided--gawking at him, girls and boys alike. "My apologies for her lateness."

Professor McGonagall seemed to be charmed by his smile, just as he had hoped and he walked up to where she stood slightly blocking her desk, and spoke in a loud whisper - though not loud enough for the class to her.

"A few Slytherin boys ripped her bag on the third floor and I found her crying a few minutes ago," he muttered. "I'll look into who it was, as they should be punished, but I didn't want to further upset her by announcing it to the class, Professor." Professor McGonagall nodded, seemingly speechless to his statements. "I was on my way here anyway, Professor, as I was hoping to get a note for use of the Quidditch pitch today. D'you mind scrounging me up one?"

"Of course," Professor McGonagall said, turning toward her desk.

Had James not turned to look back to the girl--Melissa Abbot, as it were--he would've seen a half-hidden Lily Evans peering amazingly at him, over the stack of ungraded essays she was working on.

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She couldn't help but stare at him as he glided out of the classroom, giving one last wave at Melissa Abbot as he went. What was that? Had he really stopped to help a younger student who had been of no particular interest to him? Lily couldn't quite understand it. The most self-absorbed person she had ever known… had done something this genuinely nice with no reward, with no witnesses? It made no sense to her. Absolutely none. It was difficult to get him off her mind even as she sat correcting McGonagall's essays. She excused herself a little earlier than normal and rushed out of the classroom and down to Great Hall, her bag swinging recklessly at her side, rocking with each stride.

Just as she hoped and expected, Dorcas, Amelia and Mary were sitting at the Gryffindor table, passing around plates and chatting merrily. Lily threw a look around the Gryffindor table and found that Sirius, Remus and Peter also sat in their closely-knit pack, also without the fourth member. They looked up as she walked past and she threw a small smile in their direction before plopping down next to Dorcas.

"Morning, Lily! Back from grading all those essays so soon?" Dorcas asked, conversationally, passing her a plate of sausages that she rejected with a polite thank you.

"I actually skived out early," she admitted, looking between her friends. Immediately they sensed more behind her tone.

"He hasn't screwed up yet, has he?" Mary asked sadly, correctly interpreting Lily's look. Lily assumed her face showed an awkward mix of curiosity, sadness and downright awe at the thought of James Potter.

"No," Lily assured, her lips very close together. "He's done quite the opposite, actually."

She quickly filled them in with the details just as the devil himself sauntered into the Great Hall, throwing himself into the seat furthest from her, on Sirius' right side. Amelia and Dorcas' reactions were much like hers: awe and curiosity, although Mary's face remained unconvinced and doubtful.

"Quite obviously he saw you sitting there," Mary said, offhandedly, turning back toward her bacon. "So he cocked up some brilliant story trying to impress you. And you, being the bloody fool you seem to have transformed into – _over night,_ I might add – have fallen for it! It's quite sad, actually."

"No," Lily disagreed, shaking her head at her friend. "He didn't see me, I'm sure of it. McGonagall was standing in the way and he turned away when she moved."

"Genuine concern for others," Dorcas said, in a singsong, mocking way. "Who would've thought James Potter to be capable of such a thing?"

Amelia laughed in appreciation, as Lily sent a small look down the table at James, who was sitting there, quietly talking with Remus, his eyes tired yet alive.

"Perhaps I don't know him as well as I thought," Lily frowned, glaring as she pushed her fork around her plate.

"Hah," Mary snorted, disbelievingly. "I wouldn't go off proclaiming your love to him anytime soon, Lily. He's entitled to his good day. Oh," she added, tossing her bag over her back and standing up before the others. "And we've got Defense Against the Dark Arts in about five minutes, so do try to control yourself since you'll be in the _amazingly-great_ James Potter's presence."

"Do you suppose you could be a little more supportive?" Amelia asked, following closely behind Mary as they walked along the opposite side of the Gryffindor table from Lily and Dorcas, passing behind Sirius and James.

"No, I really can't," Mary said firmly, huffily walking faster as if to give herself plenty of distance from the Marauders.

Amelia closed the gap and muttered, "I can tell there's more to this than you're willing to admit; but I will find out what it is. Whatever it is that you have against James."

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"Defense time," Remus declared to his friends, spotting Mary stood up from her seat, further down the table.

James nodded, as Mary stalked past their seats, insisting to Amelia that she couldn't do something… It hadn't occurred to James to tell any of his friends about Melissa Abbot, even as they questioned his whereabouts. He was oddly annoyed with what happened to Melissa; how those boys had picked on her, when she was only a defenseless child. Someone who didn't deserve to be sent to tears, just because those boys thought there was something wrong with her, just because her blood wasn't "pure"…

"Prongs," Peter called, a few feet from the Gryffindor table. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah," James called, caught up in his own thoughts; he quickly followed them out of the enormous wooden doors and into the Entrance Hall, Sirius lingering behind the other two to wait for him. "Padfoot? Can I ask you something?"

He wondered why this irked him so much. It's not like he had ever ruthlessly harassed someone because of his or her heritage… Unless, of course, you counted the times he'd fought with pureblood enthusiasts who were bent on tearing Lily, and others like her, down. Still, though.

"Of course," Sirius said earnestly.

"I know you've been commenting lately on how much of an arse I am—"

"Now, Prongs, don't get me—"

"Am I a berk to people who don't deserve it?" James asked roughly, striding alongside Sirius on a stairwell.

"What's this sudden question all about?"

James should've expected this type of response from Sirius. It was unrealistic for him to think he could just get by without telling Sirius what had happened and what made him question himself. So he told him about Melissa, about her tear-stained face, about her meekness at the sight of him, about her whimpering words in his presence.

"All I wanted to do was help her," James offered. "And there she was, a tangled mess in the middle of the corridor, apologizing for being in my way, when all I was thinking was how to help her."

They had long since reached the third floor corridor and were standing outside the Defense classroom alone, having motioned for Remus and Peter to file in first. Sirius looked at James sincerely, his lips unmoving, unwilling to betray his thoughts.

"She was frightened of me, Padfoot. Frightened by my very presence – and I don't understand why."

"I can't say for certain," Sirius began, honestly.

James continued despite Sirius' blatant attempt to get out of the conversation. "I'd like to think she was just frightened because of what those boys had done," he began, not meeting Sirius' eye. "That she was worried one of them had come back… But I know that's not it. Do you think she was frightened of me, Padfoot? That she knew who I was and almost didn't accept my help because of it? Because of how I've acted?"

Sirius opened his mouth, truly at a loss of words, hoping that his voice would just come out strong and reassuring in James moment of question; but it didn't. His mouth retained its originally closed form and he turned his eyes away from his friend. After a long moment, he looked back and stared straight into James' eyes. He nodded.

James sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well _fuck_ it, then! Fuck helping people, it's not worth _my_ time!"

He left Sirius alone in the corridor, closing the door sharply behind him. Sirius sighed to himself before placing his hand on the door-handle. He stopped and looked down the corridor to see Lily standing there. He knew she had heard every word, but none of it made any difference when he had thrown all of his regard away in anger.

Lily, herself, was at a loss of words even as she approached Sirius' side.

"Look, Lily, he—"

"He is looking back on that moment he helped that poor girl, and… and yet, he didn't find helping her worth his time," Lily nodded, interrupting Sirius' thought. "But that didn't stop him from doing it. Didn't stop him from finding some sympathy for someone who means nothing to him."

"Maybe, if a similar situation arose, he'd help again," Sirius offered, holding the door open for her.

"Yeah," she replied quietly, leading him into the classroom. "Maybe."


	10. Chapter 10

Masterpiece

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and everything related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastics, Warner Bros., etc.

**Summary: **It's true: Every girl wants to be the Lily who finds her James.

**Posted: **08/04/08

**IMPORTANT Author's Note: **Many of you were aware that I could not post on my home computer & that I had to borrow a computer from school with Word on it, in order to post. Well now, I am happy to let you know that I have my own computer (for college) with Word on it, so posting is only a matter of a) the writing and editing process and b) your support! I love receiving emails about this story being added to your alerts and your lists but it's the reviews that really get me rolling toward another chapter. So, please, I'm asking (nearly begging!) for you guys to just drop a line at the end of the chapter, let me know your thoughts and criticisms and I'll bust the computer back on and crank out this story (and soon, others!).

And of course: a big thanks to all of you who do and have reviewed! I really appreciate it.

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Masterpiece

Wednesdays were by far Lily's favorite day. She only had two classes during mid-morning and then, if she felt so inclined, she could spend the rest of the lay-about day in any part of the castle, catching up on school work or simply enjoying the company of the castle around her. Amelia, Dorcas and Mary had perched themselves on the grandest of the tables in Gryffindor common room and peered over books, talking merrily to each other, cracking jokes and telling old stories.

Lily herself was lounging on the sofa closest to them, closing her eyes and merely listening to them share the old stories, occasionally adding in her own comment or giggling silently to herself. She hadn't shared with them the conversation between James and Sirius she overheard the day before. For whatever reason, she felt no need to explain what occurred; in actuality, she felt no urge to talk about James Potter at all. She was tired of getting the blind support of two of her friends, and Mary's seemingly unfounded hatred.

Of course, James Potter was a berk. There was no doubt in her mind about it. But she couldn't deny that he did have some good in him. And maybe if he stopped fighting it… Well, that wouldn't make any difference to her, but it'd be a damn improvement for his wellbeing. Lily smirked internally; it certainly can't be good for his health to be such a jackass.

"I can't believe you've finished this essay already, Lily," Mary commented, bringing Lily's attention back onto her friends. "With all your Head's duties and your classes, and of course, Potter chasing you like a love-struck _fool_, well… I'm not quite sure how you've made time to do a fifteen-inch essay!"

"What do you have against him?" Amelia asked again, seeming to be bent on seizing the moment.

"Nothing," Mary insisted quickly, her eyes darting back to the parchment. "And even if I did have anything, this would hardly be the place to tell you."

Dorcas turned around on her chair to see Lily. "What are you doing in here anyway, Lily? It's gorgeous outside; if I were you, I'd go on outside and take a nice stroll along the grounds or a dip in the lake. Won't be able to do that for months in a few weeks."

"That doesn't sound like such a bad suggestion," Lily agreed, leaning off the couch and jumping to her feet. She slung her bag over her shoulder and threw a smile at her friends. "Well, enjoy being cooped up inside," she teased, treading toward the portrait hole.

She turned quickly through the corridors until she reached the Head's tower, eager to put her bag and heavy cloak into her room so she could spend the rest of the day soaking up the sun on the grounds. There was a rather large oak tree just feet from the lake that had her name on it.

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"Bishop to F-4," Remus commanded, staring intently down at the chessboard in front of him.

"Damn!" breathed Peter, as his Knight shattered into fifteen small pieces. He studied the board for a minute then prompted, "Go on, then, Prongs…"

"Not quite sure, really," James admitted from the old bed he used to sleep on. "She didn't talk to me at all yesterday, even though I saw her looking at me a few times during classes."

"Think she's starting to fancy you?" Peter asked, conversationally, still unsure of what move to make. Remus was staring at Peter bemusedly, while Sirius hovered next to them, flipping through the pages of a muggle magazine. Both of them looked to James as Peter asked this.

"She should," James responded, matter-of-factly. "What's there not to like? But Merlin only knows with Lily. It's a bit annoying to catch her staring, though, even though it means she was thinking about me. Probably bad things though," he muttered in an undertone.

"She overhead our conversation," Sirius told him, finally. "The one in the corridor before Defense yesterday."

"Fuck, Padfoot, are you fuckin'… are you being serious with me?"

Sirius smirked despite himself. "Wasn't really—"

"What are you talking about? What conversation?"

James ignored Remus' question. "Padfoot."

"She seemed a bit phased by what you said," Sirius admitted, "but did look on the bright side of it a bit."

"Fuck!"

"Please, Prongs, don't be so dramatic about this," Remus said, clearly thinking that whatever the situation was, it was being blown out of proportion.

"Yeah," Wormtail agreed. "Go find her then and talk to her about it, if it's that earth-shattering."

"Fine," snapped James, pressing himself off the bed and marching toward the door. He didn't look back at them before slamming the door behind him.

"What's that all about? He's got a nasty bit of temper now, that's clearly not going to go over well with Lily."

Sirius sighed, breaking into the story, the muggle magazine forgotten at his side.

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James took the steps down the stairs five at a time, bounding into the common room just feet from Amelia. The conversation and laughter between the three girls immediately broke when they noticed James expectant face.

"Where's Evans?" He knew his tone was harsh and his face set, but he was annoyed and didn't want to mess around with this situation.

"Clearly not here," Mary replied before the others could comment. "Might want to check your eyesight if you can't tell that, Pot—"

"Oh shut the fuck up, Mc—"

"Excuse me!" Mary stood up now, stepping around the table toward him. "Watch your tone and your words with me, Potter! Considering you're trying to get into my best friend's knickers I sug—"

James glared at her, "I mean it, McDonald, shut that fucking—"

"She's gone to the grounds, James," Amelia said, interrupting their fight that was quickly escalating to a possible massacre. "Going to enjoy a bit of a swim, I suppose."

"Thanks, 'Melia," James said in a hard tone, his eyes still pressing into Mary's. He turned to look at Amelia and gave her a quick, forced smile before pushing past Mary toward the portrait hole. "Chill the fuck out, McDonald," he said before he could stop himself. "And stop being so jealous of Lily for getting my attention just because you couldn't."

"Sod off, Pot—" but her voice died in her throat as he went out of sight. Her eyes locked onto her parchment and she tried very hard to ignore Amelia and Dorcas' inquisitive looks. Amelia sighed in her head; there was the answer despite all the hard looks and the mask Mary obviously glued to her face: she had liked and got rejected by Potter. Nothing more to this coldness than that…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lily couldn't help but notice it was considerably warm out for September, as she cozied herself down on the ground. Her elbows were propped up, supporting most of her weight as she stared straight across the lake, toward the Forbidden forest. It was her favorite part of the day: not dusk quite yet, but it was definitely the late afternoon hours. An enormous smile covered the lower part of Lily's face, her mind blank, unthinking about anything. All her cares in the world were destroyed as she surveyed the grounds around her.

She turned slightly to her right to glance at the huge castle she called her home when she saw him. His face was set, his shoulders back and full of dignity, and it became apparent to her all too quickly that there was an agenda in his quick pace. Too happy in her surroundings to maul over Potter and his agenda, she turned her attention back toward the lake and emptied her mind of all thought. When his shadowed covered her, she looked up to see him staring expectantly at her.

"Hello, Potter," she said nicely, giving him a small forced smile.

"Look, Evans," James began quickly, kneeling down next to her, "I don't know what you heard or what you think you heard Sirius and I talking about yesterday, but—"

"What?" Lily surveyed him for a second, then, dragging her eyes away from his, she looked back across the lake and quietly spoke, "I was in Professor McGonagall's classroom when you brought Melissa Abbot in, Potter."

"You were?" He now sat down next to her, surprisingly pleased by this turn of events.

"Yes," Lily responded, still not turning to look at him. "I grade essays every once in a while for her, and yesterday morning was one of those days. I heard what you told her, what those boys did." Her eyes turned to meet his. "And despite whatever unfounded anger you find with Melissa Abbot's reaction to you, you did a very nice thing by helping her."

A compliment from Lily Evans? So she was turning around! James grinned cheekily at her and her face hardened in response, seemingly unable to understand why his face split into its wide-mouthed reaction.

"I am capable of some good, Evans."

Her eyes turned away from his and she muttered coolly, "Well, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it."

James glared away from her, preparing to head back toward the castle; he had vowed to follow all of the stipulations she put for him, and he was quite sure if he stuck around and listened to her cool tone, he probably would've broken that vow. He hardly heard her question as he prepared to stand.

"You ran all the way down here just to make sure I wasn't jumping to conclusions about you, Potter?"

"Well, yes," he replied, after a moment. He let his voice draw out, as though to clearly say there was more to what he wanted to say. They sat in silence for nearly five minutes before James opened his mouth again. He closed it.

Lily seemed to not have notice. "I can't believe it's really almost over." James wasn't sure if she was saying this to him, or merely thinking aloud, but he listened. "Merlin, I remember when I first ever sat here. Was it really that long ago?"

She turned to see him still sitting there and her eyes widened in surprise. "I'm sorry, I thought you had left by now…"

"Am I really imposing?" He tried to keep his tone level and sincere, but he wasn't sure if it came off that way.

"No, not really," she replied, sitting up and rubbing her elbows.

"Good," James said, watching her rub her elbows with masked-interest, pushing himself toward the tree's truck to lean his back on.

It was obvious to him that she wanted to lie back down, but didn't want her elbows, now raw and irritated, to be the main support of her weight. He watched her five-minute attempt to find a comfortable position with a bemused smile upon his face. He'd never see this side of Lily Evans; usually she was more fluent and connected with her motions, not jerky and uneasy. He found it, for a reason unknown to him, a bit endearing. She tried to push her hair to one side and rest her head on one arm on the ground, but sat up thirty seconds later, defeated.

James couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.

"What?" she asked defensively, looking over her right shoulder to peer at him.

"You're funny," he said simply.

"Why? This is a bit frustrating, Potter!"

James tried not to laugh again. "I've been wondering what the meaning of this is, but I can't quite understand it."

"I washed my hair earlier today and I'd like to keep it from getting dirty." Her eyes continued to bore into his. She then turned away and her voice dropped down to a matter-of-fact, slight-whisper, "Which is harder than it looks."

"Honestly," James responded, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "Come here, Evans."

"Excuse me?" Lily questioned, turning her face back to him.

"Yeah, you heard me correctly," he assured, barely keeping the grin off of his face. "Obviously, nothing you are trying is working, love! I'm offering to help—"

"What exactly are you insinuating I do, Potter?" Her eyes were narrowed and untrusting.

"For Merlin's sake, let me show you!" She was ruthlessly stubborn and his nerves were starting to flare, the laughter forgotten.

There was a long moment where Lily looked unsure about putting herself that close to James; she knew, of course, that she could just get up and walk away if he tried anything – and, of course, if he did try anything, it would only be marks against him and the bet would be off. She smiled internally. There was no way for her to lose here, she suddenly realized.

Without saying anything, she crawled the three feet behind her to stare straight into James' face. He reached out to her but she shook his hand off. James mentally slapped the anger he knew was rising in his mind. He clenched his teeth.

"Evans…"

"If you dare…" She let her voice die menacingly.

James stared back, just as harshly, leaning up and putting his hands on either side of her hips, pulling her even closer to him. Her breath caught in her throat as their noses brushed. But James wasn't trying for a kiss, both of them knew, even with their instinctual reactions to their closeness. James merely placed Lily on the ground, positioned well enough for her to rest her head on his chest.

Lily lied there, her arms limp at her sides. All she could think about was the pumping heartbeat that ruptured her ear; all she could think about as how fast his heart was beating. Faster than it probably should, faster than was probably normal. Was this an affect she had on him?

They sat there, saying nothing to each other, lost in their own thoughts. James, though pleased, was more than surprised at Lily's reaction to him. She didn't sit up immediately – although James was not yet ruling that out – nor did she seem to mind being this close to him. What a victory! He grinned to himself.

"I love the grounds," Lily remarked suddenly, her voice slightly muffled by her proximity to his body. "But they should add more to them."

"Such as?"

"Some benches, perhaps," Lily suggested. "Or maybe even hang a few swings from some of the trees." James raised an eyebrow and, though she couldn't see it, she seemed to have sensed it. "I know it sounds childish, but I loved to swing when I was younger."

James opened his mouth to comment but Lily continued. "I mean, I would spend the entire morning begging Tuney to take us to the park so we could swing—"

"Tuney?" Sounded like a ridiculous name for a house-elf, to James, but he knew she was muggle-born.

"Oh," her voice exhaled quietly, James thought she might've been blushing now. "That's a nickname I used to have for my sister Petunia."

"I didn't know you had a sister." He hoped he sounded interested, although he wasn't sure if he really was.

"Well…" Lily was unsure of whether or not to tell him. Not many people knew the terms she and her sister were on; Potter was hardly a person worthy of being added to that elite list.

"You don't have to talk about her if you don't want to," James recovered, hoping this was what she wanted to hear. Then more to himself than her, he said, "Always wanted a sister, myself. Or a brother, really. Wondered what it would be like to have someone else there… It's a bit lonely being the only child."

"I can't imagine," Lily said truthfully. "I use to love having my sister around. She was my best friend."

Merlin, James thought to himself. He wondered incredulously if she had died… "What… happened?" He wasn't sure if this came out as sincere as he would've liked.

"Do you really want to know?" she whispered, looking with unfocused eyes toward the lake.

"Did I not ask?" he replied, so quietly it almost didn't appear to be the cold statement it was.

"She's a few years older than me," she explained. "Off now, actually. Getting married to some brute of a muggle man. We haven't really gotten along since I came here."

"Why?" James' tone was angry now. Those stupid, worthless muggles with their—

"Jealousy, Potter."

"Jealous of what, exactly?"

She sighed, unconsciously nestling her face into his chest. "She wanted to be a witch, too. Actually wrote – well, pleaded with Dumbledore to allow her to come to Hogwarts when I got my letter."

"Well, you know by now that's not possible. Muggles can't get close enough to the castle to even consider being allowed in the grounds. Surely she can understand that now—"

"I know that, Potter," she said, keeping her voice calm. "But as she'll hardly look at me now, it's rather difficult to explain anything to her."

James felt such a level of hatred bubbling toward Lily's sister. As if Evans deserved to be treated that way for something that was out of her control. He'd like to give Petunia something to chew on, something to knock her eyes straight.

"Sounds like a right, old bitch, if you ask me."

"Potter!" Lily said angrily, her head rising off his chest. "That's my sister you're talking about—"

"I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, his voice holding more sincerity than he expected. "I didn't mean that, I—"

Lily cut him off, "You're right, but you don't need to say it like that, do you?"

James flushed. "I don't care if I'm right, I really didn't mean to say that." He glared toward the castle and muttered quietly, "You just have no idea how fucking pissed off I get when people mess with you. Not a fucking clue."

He was surprised as time passed without Lily jetting off toward the castle in rage. He was even more shocked when he felt her head return to its spot on his chest. Lily quietly damned herself for leaning on Potter and accepting his comfort but she didn't make any attempt to stop herself.

"One thing about the sibling bond, though, Potter… She's awful to me. She truly is. But there's nothing in the world I want more than for her to be happy. And nothing I wouldn't do for her."

James was at a loss for words. The love she held for her sister was astounding to listen to. The one person, or so it truly seemed to James, who has constantly dragged Lily down, who has pushed her love and kindness away, Petunia, her sister, still received an unconditional bond of love. How was that possible? He wished he could've looked at Lily's face, to see if it was sincere or not, but he knew she was sincere. She truly meant it… Merlin, this girl was unbelievable.

"And this bloke she's marrying…" James prompted. "He's good for her?"

"He makes her happy," Lily answered. Then she admitted quietly, "I haven't really met him…"

"When's the wedding? Certainly you'll meet him when they are in midst of planning it, right?"

"Err… no, actually. The wedding's less than a month away. And I am not…" she let her voice trail away, but James was sure he understood. And yet she would still do anything for her inconsiderate sister.

James found his thoughts swirling together. He sighed and confessed, "I hope my daughters have just an ounce of the love you have for your sister for each other."

"Daughters?" She then threw in jokingly, "Got illegitimates running around already, Potter?"

James tried to laugh at her joke but failed. "I assume someday I'll be married and will start a family. And yeah, hopefully will have some daughters."

"No son to carry on the pureblooded Potter name?" She wasn't sure why she'd worded it that way, and bit her tongue because of it.

"I certainly want a son," James replied, finding it easy to ignore her pureblood comment. "It might sound stupid…probably does, really. But… I'd like to have a fair few children, if I could."

"That's not stupid, at all." Her voice held sincerity that James could not deny. "Me too, Potter."

"Really? Even in times like these?" Ah, Lily thought, there was the root of it all.

She rolled along on her side, turning from facing away from him, to looking up at him.

"When I find the right person," she began, her eyes locking with his. "Well… together we will be strong enough to overcome anything."

"You truly believe that?"

"It may seem stupid, but I do. I believe that there's an irrefutable strength that comes from love."

"I wish I could believe that, Lily, I really do." Both were taken aback by his honesty and his use of her first name.

"Maybe it's easier than you think," she responded, keeping her heartbeat steady. If she thought she could hear James' heart boldly beating when she was turned the other way, it was nothing compared to now. It almost seemed to be humming.

He shook his head. "My mum loved my dad and I. Told us so, every day. But our love couldn't save her, Lily. Our love did nothing to help her."

Lily could no longer stare at James from below. She swiftly, though rashly, sat up, keeping herself close enough that she hoped he didn't think she was pulling away. She felt unbelievably close to seeing into James' problem. She could now tell that Sirius was right. He did blame himself for his mother's death, for the muggle illness that ate her alive.

"Is this why you're angry all the time?" she asked quietly, not letting her eyes leave his, even when his narrowed.

"What the f—"

"Honestly, Potter." Lily's voice held solemn patience. "I can tell there's more to this. And I know you haven't told anyone, but Sirius can tell. You know he suspects this guilt."

"Fuck—"

"Dammit, Potter! I'll never understand you." Her voice flared angrily and she rose to her feet, glaring down at him. "Why can you be a shoulder to me? When all I get in return is a wall?"

"You don't even care. You really don't, do you?"

He rose to his feet too and stood barely a foot away from her face. Her glare softened at his. She realized that he had been right about some things that he had told her. It seemed like this draw she had to him, whatever it was, was irrefutably showing her that they rose to the challenges with each other. She honestly couldn't tell herself why she was still standing there. Why she was still trying to help him when she owed him nothing. Nothing in the world bounded her to him, to listen to his angry tone and to try to help him settle this grief.

"I thought I didn't," she replied snippily. "I thought I didn't care, or that you meant nothing to me… But here I am, Potter, here I am. And I don't even know _why_!"

"You don't have to be," he spat back, coldly. She could barely see his face anymore, dusk was passing and night was falling around them. But she clearly saw in her mind the look he was giving her.

"But here I am," she repeated. "You can keep feeling sorry about yourself, if that suits you, Potter. You can keep going on, wallowing on what should've been, but eventually you'll realize the truth." She turned as though to walk away from him. "You couldn't have done anything."

"I wanted to," he said weakly. She barely heard him as she was retreating away. "I wanted to do what no one else seemed to be able to do. Is that such a bad fucking thing? Lily?"

She stopped walking but didn't turn around. "It's not. But you're letting it eat away at you, Potter, and that is the worst thing you could do. No one wants to see you like that. I can't believe it took me so long to understand what the hells been wrong with you."

She shook her head. So much for being the brightest student of their year. It seemed so obvious now: his hatred for others, stemming off his hatred for himself. He wanted to do what no one else could do. No other wizard.

"Why don't you go into Healing, then, Potter?" she suggested warily, finally turning to look at him. He had stepped closer to her. "Might be more worthwhile than a lifetime of Chasing and scoring."

His response came as a laugh. She couldn't believe she heard it from his mouth. He _laughed_. Not a false, angry laugh, but a real sound of amusement. He was now just a foot from her again.

"_Lumos_!" His wand-tip exploded with light so that he could start to see her clearly. "You think I want to play Quidditch?"

"How should I have known? Quidditch is your life here, Potter."

"Quidditch is one of my favorite things to do," he ceded. "But it's hardly a life. A life is doing something for the good, it's fighting for those who couldn't fight for themselves."

"Why, Potter, that's possibly the most selfless thing I've heard from your lips in the last seven years!"

"Oh sod off," he said in response to her teasing tone. "I've always wanted to be an Auror. Everyone knows that."

"I didn't, actually," she replied honestly. "But… that's something I want to do, too. Fight against… Voldemort."

She expected James to gasp like all the other wizards who had heard her address him by his name. She even expected James to get angry, whether at her for her stupid bravery or for her blind ignorance.

"Looks like you aren't getting rid of me so easily then," he said, his voice slightly teasing. "I'm sure we'll cross paths quite a bit, both fighting for the same side and all."

James felt uneasy with her comments about him and his mother. Was he that obvious or had she just been watching closely? It was none of her business why he was unbelievably bitter about it. And yet, she was making it her business…

He wasn't sure why, but what he did know was his reluctance to talk about it. His need for a diversion.

"Like to fly, Evans?"

"What?"

"Do you like to fly?" he asked clearly accenting every word.

"Merlin, no!" Lily laughed quietly at James' ignorance; had he not seen her pathetic first year attempts? She felt a little pleased that he seemed to have forgotten the travesties.

"Excellent! _Accio Silver Arrow_!" Lily looked incredulous at him, as they heard a zooming noise from the distance. A few moments later his broomstick was landing gracefully into his hand. "Let's go, then." He beckoned, reaching out for her hand.

"I don't like flying, Potter! Why would you—?"

"So you don't like flying, big deal. Face your fears and go anyway. They didn't put you in Gryffindor to be a coward."

"You're ridiculous," she muttered, shaking her head. "Isn't there anything else you'd like more than to fly?"

He smirked, his face half-hidden from her view. He stepped even closer to her, towering over her; she craned her neck, using her own wand light to double the brightness of their scene.

"I'd like to kiss you right now," he replied simply.

Her eyes widened despite her best efforts. She should've seen this coming, should've anticipated what her question could lead to. She was, of course, not obligated to do either of the things James wanted to do. She could merely turn away and walk back toward the castle, leaving him to fly as much as he wanted to. And a kiss was certainly out of the question…

"Better not," she warned, her face hardening slightly. "One quick ride," she commanded. "And I'm not flying!"

"Fine," he ceded once more. "You can just go along for the ride."

He mounted the broomstick, leaving a comfy space behind him for her to climb on. She held her hands loosely along the top of his broad shoulders, trying very hard to not notice the depths of them. She felt slightly breathless when thinking about them.

"Ready?" he asked sincerely.

"I sup—" But he had jetted toward the sky before she could even fully respond. She found herself clinging to his shoulders now. When he dipped the broomstick downward, Lily risked throwing her hands off his shoulders so that she could wrap her arms around his waist. She could almost feel the laughter surging through his body.

"Is there anything better than this?" He called out to the wind, his voice light with happiness.

"I can think of about a hundred things!" she muttered into his ear. She actually heard his laughter now. He flew around, over the grounds, dipping low and high, swerving, showing his nerve. When he flew toward the spot they had started from, he hovered fifty feet in the air and unlocked her arms from around his waist.

"What are—" But Lily's voice faded and shock covered her face as James stood up. "Are you insane, Potter?! Sit back down, you could get us killed!"

"I'm not going to get us killed, Lily, relax!"

"You're throwing the broomstick off-balance!" she scolded angrily. To her astonishment he titled his end purposefully and she slid closer down the handle toward him. This was what he wanted, she could tell, as he gracefully stepped over top of her to the back of the broom.

"Then balance it," he replied easily, stepping back across her to the front again. Back and forth he went, tilting the broomstick, making her hang on for dear life.

"Potter, please! I'm serious about this, now—"

James laughed at her agony – laughed lighthearted and without malice; though it angered her to hear, she could tell he didn't find her distress funny, but he knew exactly what he was doing.

"Want me to stop?"

"_Yes!_" she begged, watching him step over her once more.

"Then I ask only one favor."

"Potter—"

"Just one, and it's well within your rights to refuse," he reminded, now stepping over her more quickly, making the handle shake harder.

"What do you want?" She tried to keep her voice calm, in through the fear.

"Call me James."

"Call you James?"

"Simple enough, isn't it?"

"Oh, Pot—"

"James," he said, now leaping over her to stand at the front of the broom.

"Fine," she said, her nostrils flaring. "Fine, please, James, please! I want to go back inside the castle now."

He smiled, clearly pleased with the sound of his name coming from her lips. "Okay," he agreed, sitting down behind her softly. "Face your fears and glide us back down to the ground."

She was amazed to hear his voice so close to her; it sent slight chills down her spine. "Why are you so intent on making me face this fear?"

"Don't worry," he said, ignoring her question. He reached out to place his hands around hers, as though to teach her what to do. "You can do this."

She turned her head slightly to look at him. "James…"

"I'm right behind you. I'm right here if you need me."

And with their hands overlapping, Lily cautiously drifted toward the ground and together they landed.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and everything related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastics, Warner Bros., etc.

**Summary:** It's true: Every girl wants to be the Lily who finds her James.

**Posted:** 11/10/08

**Author's Note:** I admit it – I failed. You all kept up your end of the bargain by bombarding my inbox with reviews (more-so than any previous chapters, I think, anyway) and I got so overwhelmed with starting college and moving away from home that I did not hold true to my promise. I did write over half of this within days of the last chapter, however I did not like it all – did not approve of where it was headed. Now I return back, a month (or so) later and hope to find some peace in this chapter. It's not long now, ladies and gents, thanks for sticking with me! :)

* * *

He was insufferable.

Because he wasn't.

Because she didn't mind being around him anymore.

Because it must've been nearly two in the morning when she had fallen asleep next to him. Because she wasn't dreaming – or having a nightmare – that he had picked her up, carried her up the stairs, and onto her bed. Because his lips certainly brushed the middle of her forehead as he whispered, "Goodnight, Lily," in a silky voice she knew was meant to make her shiver. Because the thought of it didn't sicken her, didn't twinge her stomach into an unbearable knot of disgust. Because she might have even _liked_ it.

Because it _may_ have woken her from her nearly steadfast slumber, running over in her mind as time ticked off the clock, as daylight grew closer to breaching the horizon. Because it _may_ have been the reason they happened to walk down together to the Great Hall the next morning; _may_ have been the reason she accepted his request to sit next to her at the table a little too quickly.

He was insufferable because she had leaned on him, emotionally, physically, spiritually… She opened up to a daft, brute of a man and now had something about her that could only be described as some sort of an after-morning glow. She lost sleep because of him – stayed up hours longer than she should have to answer needless, throwaway questions that allowed her to discover, and share, the most insignificant parts of herself – parts he wanted to know. Which end of the toothpaste tube do you squeeze from? Do you fancy yourself a morning person? Do you button from top to bottom or bottom to top? Do you floss your bottom or your top row of teeth first? The questions seemed endless.

For the first time ever, as she sat down to a large bowl of oatmeal, she looked beside her, and didn't lament at James' proximity. She didn't groan at the sound of his voice so close to her. It amazed her and annoyed her all at once. He had hardly become less arrogant over the last two days, had hardly changed at all, and despite that, she was softening to him. She supposed that his mother had a lot to do with that but that was hardly the reason it looked like she'd be spending the day with him. She shuddered quietly to herself over the table, she genuinely _wanted_ to.

He was blown away.

James looked to the seat next to him, his eyes crossing over her long red hair, her small freckled nose, her bright green eyes, only to linger on her small pink lips that were arched on each side; she was _smiling_.

This hardly surprised him – she was coming around to him after all – and he had gazed upon her face so many times that we was quite certain he could pin-point every freckle in the correct location. What blew him away was her; was all this could mean to him.

James never took much store in getting to know a girl, never put in the time or effort that he had put in the night before. He'd never been one to ask a girl to pour out her soul to him. In fact, he still felt a little uncomfortable knowing her relationship with her sister, but even that, he thought, was waning to nothingness.

He was dreadfully tired, but he knew that was no one's fault but his own; his need to find out everything about her that he didn't know yet, to delve into the depths of her and to skim the surface for minute details that no one in their right mind ever consciously looked for. What good was it to know what time of year she liked best, what her favorite holiday was, what her favorite book was…?

James never denied a long-term interest to be with Lily. He thought she was gorgeous and thought that if it were possible to fall in love, to be so completely taken by one person, he wanted that person to be her. Wanted to attempt falling in love, one of the most foreign of all emotions to him, but only with her.

And turning to his side, seeing her look at him and not become annoyed by his presence, or frown at his proximity, he never felt surer that Lily could be the girl he fell in love with. Getting to know her in the detail he did last night didn't change that fact; it strengthened it.

* * *

"Pass the jam, please," Peter requested to Remus, sending a hungry glance his way. He mumbled a thank-you through his eggs.

They hadn't heard from James since he stormed out of the dormitory the previous day. The window that lined the boys' dormitory fell short of showing the tree that Lily and James sat near. And in turn, no one was more surprised than Sirius when Lily and James came walking side-by-side into the Great Hall that morning.

"Hey Prongs!" Peter called through his food, as James passed behind him with Lily. Sirius looked further down the table to see Lily's friends saving her a spot. He was, again, surprised to see Lily allow James the spot next to her. This, he had to hear.

"Moony, Wormtail," he said roughly, gaining their attention; then, with a swift suave that inversed his voice, he hitched the plate he was eating from to his hand and walked down the table to sit down next to Amelia Bones.

"Do you mind if we join you?" he asked casually, to none of the girls in particular; he was soon followed by Peter and Remus.

Amelia smiled warmly at him as they sat and enjoyed their breakfasts.

* * *

Lily was all too aware of James' eyes on her face as they ate. It made her slightly uncomfortable, but she tried her hardest to ignore the pit of her stomach by sending a cheerful hello to the boys who had just joined them.

Her hand flew to her mouth over her oatmeal, hoping to conceal her open-mouthed yawn.

"Late night last night, Lil?" Amelia asked innocently, her eyes not leaving the plate to stare at across the table at Lily; Sirius and Remus peaked their heads up with interest, however.

"A bit," Lily admitted, feeling James fidget to her left. She looked at him through the corner of her eye and saw he was smiling. She involuntarily broke into a smile as well. What the _hell_ was wrong with her? "Pot—James seemed a bit keen on staying up and we all know how stubborn the berk can be when he wants to be." Her tone was light as she teased him.

"You show a bit of interest in the girl and she chats your ears off all night. Women!" His voice even lighter than Lily's as he said this to Amelia; she looked up from her plate and laughed.

"Oh don't blame this all on me," Lily muttered, turning to look James straight in the face now. "I don't recall being the one who simply _had_ to know what my shoe size was!"

Neither James nor Lily noticed all their friends watching their exchange with expressions that ranged from amusement, to inquiry, and even to annoyance on Mary's part.

"Those are enormous feet you've got there, Lily," James teased, his face breaking into a lopsided grin. "I simply had to know if we could use your shoes for flotation devices, if Hogwarts were to ever be submerged in a flood…"

Lily opened her mouth in protest, hearing the slight chuckles around her; but she couldn't keep an offended look on her face and cracked a smile. "My shoes are certainly not big enough to become any part of a flood-rescue situation, especially if you were the one to try to use it. That fat head of yours would sink it rather quickly."

The smirk that was on James' face subsided at her retort, but his eyes grew lighter; he was amazed by her wit. Would she ever stop being so damn appealing to him? He hesitated longer than he knew she'd allow and she jumped at the victory.

"Ah," she exhaled, turning back to her oatmeal, concealing the grin on her face. "Seems to be all air in that large head because you can't come with a decent rebuke, I see. Pity."

"Victory is yours, m'lady," he replied, turning his attention to his own plate of eggs. "For now," he added, when he thought only Lily could hear him. She lifted her head up from her plate to gaze at him, the corner of his lips slowly twitching upward.

"I look forward to a rematch, _my Lord_," she whispered back, mockingly emphasizing his title. His face broke into a grin as their eyes met.

_Damn_. And even the voice in her head seemed breathless.

* * *

Lily and James had every class together, as they both aspired to become Aurors… but today seemed to be the first day that that mattered. It was either Lily's keen senses or her imagination, but she felt the Professors eyes linger longer than usual on her, as she sat alongside James. And because this was one of the busiest days of the week for her and her fellow seventh years, her day was filled with wondering glances; but none more than in Transfigurations – the last class and the one that seemed to always take the longest to get through.

"_Fifty_ foot essay?" Lily thought she had repeated, turning her head to stare at James.

Professor McGonagall had dismissed them with a homework assignment that Lily swore would keep her working two entire days.

James smirked at her, "Fifteen, you daft cow," he teased, grabbing up her books for her.

"Oh thank Merlin!" she exhaled, grabbing her bag, not noticing James' chivalry; James turned toward Sirius who stood at his other side.

"Meet you in the common room?"

"Sure thing, Prongs," Sirius approved, following Remus and Peter toward the corridor.

Amelia had appeared at Lily's side and was going on about working on the essay together. James stood silently next to them, and walked just as quietly next to them as they left the classroom.

"'Melia, d'you mind if we run by the Head's tower to drop off our books?"

"Not at all." And gratefully… unexplainably, Amelia took the question even further into a hint and separated from the couple.

"I'll be up in the dormitory when you're free, if you'd like," she promised, giving Lily a bright, almost encouraging smile.

"Alright," Lily choked out. The pit of her stomach dropped slightly. 'Butterflies?' she thought darkly to herself. 'Come on, Lily.'

James was smiling at her as they stood in the middle of the seventh floor corridor. Her mind reeled as they stared at each other. She tore her eyes away from his face to gaze out the adjacent window – birds were floating by, chirping to their hearts' desire – anything was better than the bright hazel, almost expectant eyes in front of her. The eyes that had been staring at her on and off throughout all their lessons were suddenly sending her mind into little fits and frenzies. What was this? Perhaps he'd spiked the pumpkin juice he had poured her during lunch.

"C'mon," he offered, directing her toward the tower with her books; she finally noticed them tucked carefully into his hands but could not find anything to say about it. "I'm sure you probably want to get this essay done as soon as you can." She followed him toward the portrait, barely hearing his pre-mature gloating, "Especially since you won't have any time on Saturday with our dinner and date."

"In your dreams, James," she shot back, giving him a teasing smile. 'Easy does it,' she thought to herself.

"And in reality soon," he ceded, setting her books on the common room table. He almost looked at her expectantly as she sat her bag down next to the stack.

"Yes, James?"

He'd been considering it for a few hours, wondering if he was really making as much progress with her as he imagined. She certainly seemed to be fine with their current situation; she was friendly enough and did not seem overly opposed to spending time with him. What did he have to lose by asking? Maybe it was her who was losing something, if she were to say no…

Well, _that_ was a given.

But even still… the approach he was using now was working better than anything he could've imagined. Would he be making a quick step in the wrong direction if he were to ask?

James was put into Gryffindor for a reason – this he knew, embraced and gloated about. Bravery, courage, strength of will…

"I want to show you something tonight," he said genuinely. "I want to show you this place that I know you'll love."

He was so close to her that she could feel the warmth of his body on her own; whether this was the reason for her overwhelming sense of warmth now or not became a raging debate in her mind. Not raging enough to stop her from wondering what exactly James meant.

"Why?" She cocked an eyebrow as she asked, as though to appear uninterested and undecided.

"Don't be so stubborn," he said, looking at her delicately. "Trust me for once." _Soon_, _you'll trust me with everything you have._

"Alright, James."

She wondered if she'd spend the rest of the afternoon in anticipation – what a stupid thing to feel for something _James_ _Potter_ was going to show her. Perhaps she would bail out, make up an excuse, and spend the evening in the girls' dormitory, eating sweets, and gossiping.

"Let's go get that essay completed," James offered, grabbing her books off the table once more.

"Alright, James," she repeated. And she knew then that she was spending the evening with him.

* * *

Silly her, and her anticipation for the evening. She had rushed through her essay, making a million mistakes it seemed, just to get to the point where she could justify an evening away from the books. She asked where he was taking her – playing it off as mere inquiry for dressing attire, as it was getting chillier these days. She tried to convince herself three or four times that she was being stupid and should cancel the plans with him, but she never got around to actually doing it.

James made the preparations, feeling more confident about his idea as the afternoon went on. He parted with Lily for a few hours, just to ensure she'd be willing to meet back up with him – they had been together for so long he began to worry (although only slightly) that she was growing tired of him and would not want to spend another evening at his side. A bit foolish of her, if that were the case, but James was smart enough to not rule it out.

By the time seven rolled around, James headed back to the Heads tower to find Lily curled up on the sofa with a book. She didn't look up when he entered, and he crept silently past her to put his belongings up in his bedroom. When he came back downstairs he cleared his throat, sending her a small smirk and gesturing toward the door. Bemused and slightly befuddled, Lily followed him out of the portrait and down two corridors to a long stretch of hallway she had been through a hundred times, stopping just in front of one particular spot along the wall…

"Just picture in your mind what you want – whatever it is you desire most at this exact moment," he murmured quietly in her ear.

"What?" she breathed, merely to have a response. For Merlin knows what reason her mind immediately pictured the man – yes man – before her, tenderly tilting her chin upward toward his awaiting and puckered lips. She shook her head, silently damning herself for the image. She knew little of the magic James had in store for her, but could not risk it being able to show him what she had been thinking of.

"Got it?" he confirmed, his voice heavy and rough.

"N-no, no," she stammered out, much to his surprise. "I don't know what I want." Truth, be damned!

"You can't think of one thing you desire?" he inquired. She could feel the edges of his lips turning upward into a smirk, even though his face was inches away from her; his breath seemed to quicken a little, in excitement. "My very presence must fulfill your wishes and, in turn, rid you of all you other desires, eh, Lily?"

"Hardly, toe-rag," she exhaled; his face split into a full-blown smile now. "Your proximity clutters my mind with so much hatred that I can't even begin to remember what the word 'desire' even means. Are you quite sure you are not related to Dementors, James?"

His heart was pounding wildly at her comments – he knew, something inside of him could not refute it, that he was driving her into some sort of barmy frenzy, just in his presence. She was trying to hide it, and doing a fairly decent job, had he not known exactly how to read her. The comments were light enough in tone, as though she wanted him to hear her but not entirely believe the explanation she was giving. Check.

He leaned forward, pushing his chest lightly into her shoulder, as if she needed to know just how close he was to her. His lips lowered slightly, only to take on the serious tone he was trying to convey to her in the pregnant silence.

"The only thing Dementors and I have in common is how well we kiss…. We're good with our mouths, you see." Check.

She could see his lips parting slightly, feel his breath on her cheek, and understand fully what the sexual undertones in his comment was. He saw her calculate his words and could no longer hold the smirk off of his face. He quickly ducked down to brush his lips to the base of her neck.

"James, I—I…" Her words were lost in her throat. He straightened up. Check mate.

"Alright, Lily, time to quit the joking around." He played his role well. "Think of anything you'd like at this moment – doesn't even have to be a desire, can just be something you'd enjoy having."

_Firewhiskey_, her brain spit out. She shook her head internally. She could, however go for a nice dinner. She closed her eyes imaging it, not focusing on James, who was toeing her around. Perhaps a large roast with baked potatoes, fluffy biscuits, green beans, and a nice pudding to finish it off. Her favorite meal, one she hadn't had in a rather long while – since she had last been at home with her parents. Her stomach ached in more than just hunger.

She opened her eyes to find herself in the same spot she had been in before; fully knowing, yet not comprehending that she had walked around with James. Then she spotted it – a little off to the right – an old, wooden door.

"James, what--?" But he wasn't next to her anymore. 'Very clever,' she grimaced to herself, moving forward to push on the handle.

He was there, as she expected, sitting down at a small table, waiting, rather anxiously, she thought, for her arrival. In front of him sat a vast array of foods… including biscuits, green beans, potatoes, a roast… she blinked, there was even _pudding_.

"James, what is this?"

His face broke into a large smile at her tone. "Dinner. Your favorite – I thought you might enjoy it. A bit interesting on the location, though," he commented, looking around.

Lily hadn't even noticed where she was. The room was an exact replica of her kitchen at home – right down to the old photographs her mother had stored on the windowsill next to the table. She could hardly believe to what detail this event had been pulled off – surely James knew nothing about her house, so he could hardly be the culprit to such a charade.

"What is this place?"

"The Room of Requirement." And suddenly James was at her side, guiding her to her seat. "It becomes whatever you want it to be."

"And magic's the food you—"

"Oh no," James breathed, taking his own seat. "I brought this up from the kitchens and stowed it away for dinner. Food can't just appear from desire, you know."

"That I know," Lily agreed, "I guess I was a little overwhelmed by it all."

"So you like it, then?" James offered.

"It's quite possibly the sweetest thing anyone's done for me, James," she admitted as he passed her a loaded plate.

"Who would've thought I'd be capable of any sort of sweetness?" He smiled at his own teasing tone.

"_I suppose I've underestimated you."_

They ate merrily together, Lily's mind thriving off the childish, joking conversation – it drove the other anxieties out of her mind, causing her to forget the rush of gratitude and affection she felt for James. She never hid her favorite meal from him, in fact she had told him exactly what it was when he asked. What drove her simply insane with emotion was that he had listened. He had listened to her. 'I suppose I've underestimated you,' ran through her mind again – making her wonder exactly what James might've said if she had actually muttered the incredibility aloud, instead of only flushing about it in her mind.


	12. Chapter 12

Masterpiece

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and everything related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastics, Warner Bros., etc.

**Summary:** It's true: Every girl wants to be the Lily who finds her James.

**Posted:** 6/25/10 – my 20th birthday

**Author's Note:** So here it is. I've gone through a lot of emotional transformations since we last met, and I had a terribly difficult time keeping these transformations out of my writing (especially when this has such a set tone that I strive to keep up). And that is not even fair to say. Over the last year of my life, I have found it hard to write in general. And that is one of the worst feelings I've ever had. But here it is, finally – just two days ago the words starting coming back, and here is a rough copy of them, along with my apology for its lateness as well as an apology for the chapter being how it is – I hope you don't see my absence from writing as clearly in this chapter as I do. I will post again very, very soon.

* * *

Masterpiece

He was in love with her. Full-blown love. If it were even possible to fall that thoroughly and that quickly for someone, he thought he would be the prime example of it – the evidence needed to prove it…

So maybe he was exaggerating a little… maybe declaring love was going too far too fast, but he felt on top of the world and it was all because of her newfound presence in his life. He was unsure of how she did it. Or, really, how _he_ did it. He somehow managed to thoroughly embed her into his life over the previous three days. He had kept up his end of the bargain, thus far – not causing any problems with fellow students, or being overly rude to anyone he came across and today was his final test.

And that fact was why on this particular day, James woke slightly earlier than he had in months, too anxious to sleep, feeling as though he was so close to his victory. Of course it was more than that – the date with Lily was proving to be far more than just a bet won. He was starting to see it as a beginning. Hoping that he and Lily were progressing as much as he felt they were.

He hadn't quite enjoyed any meal as much as he enjoyed the previous night's dinner. Unlike the past conversations, he and Lily maintained a light communication over dinner, with good-natured banter and teasing discussions.

The countless hours he had spent by her side were having a positive affect on him – he never considered he'd ever find someone who could continuously keep his interest and bring him happiness, but Lily did. Having Lily in his life proved far more rewarding then he ever imagined when he first took a fancy to her. He had never been so determined to win her over, and knew that with just one day left before their dinner-date, he had the odds well stacked in his favor for success. And his happiness was very closely bound to his success or failure over the upcoming twelve hours.

Lily didn't anticipate this situation at all. She already felt different, felt a shift in her emotions toward James, becoming more favorable as the hours went on. This unanticipated change not only amazed her, but also frightened her. Though James had proven himself thus far, it was only mere days ago that he was cursing and picking fights with other students. She knew she'd never forgive herself if she became too comfortable and let her guard down, only to be disappointed in the end.

Nevertheless she couldn't help but be anxious and excited for the upcoming school today. It was the day before their Hogsmeade date, and barring any set-backs due to James, she would be sitting with him, enjoying a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, or sauntering through the cobbled road, attached at the hands with James. And though it was just one date she had promised if he were to achieve his goal – a goal that only a few days beforehand seemed nearly impossible – she felt as though this would be the beginning of something new…something she had never experienced before. She smiled despite herself, rolling back over pressing her face into the soft pillows of her bed.

* * *

"This is it mates," Sirius announced at the Gryffindor table later that morning, as he, Remus and Peter joined James, whom had finished eating nearly twenty minutes before they had arrived.

His stomach jolted at Sirius' words, knowing exactly what he was referring too. He looked around for Lily, though he knew she hadn't come down to breakfast yet. This gave him a momentary escape from meeting his friends' piercing glares. James wondered if the reality of the situation was weighing on Lily like it was weighing on him. He could barely think of anything else but the prospect of the following day.

"You all right, Prongs?" Remus asked, looking curiously at his friend. "You look like you ate some bad eggs."

"If you have," Peter began, a note of intense seriousness in his voice, "and need to toss it, have a go at the Slytherin table."

Sirius was the only one among the three who gave a slight chuckle at this, reaching his hand over to James' shoulder and giving it a slight shake meant to comfort James in his apparent stupor.

"He'll be all right, Wormtail." Sirius returned his attention to the food in front of him, giving a sour look at the jug of pumpkin juice before conversationally adding, "Although if the prospect of dating her has gotten him this shaken up, I don't see how the bloke's going to be able to marry her—"

"Har, har, Padfoot."

Though, this seemed to successfully drag James into the conversation, and he sat up a little straighter as though this would grant him more confidence. This attempt was futile however, because Lily was quickly approaching the table, looking tired but cheerful. He held his breath slightly, as though it determined whether or not she would join him at the table; but he needn't have worried for long: her face broke into a huge smile as she approached the four.

James heard Sirius, Remus and Peter mumbled their own "Morning, Lily"'s as she sat down next to him.

She followed their comments with a small "hello," of her own before surveying the food in front of them. "Morning, James."

"Good-morning." He mentally shook himself and forced himself to give her a small smile. "How'd you sleep?"

"Oh just fine," she said off-handedly, entirely aware that bags surrounding her eyes indicated restlessness, and, unbeknownst to James, anxiety toward the upcoming day with him. "Just woke up early and couldn't return to sleep."

"I know the feeling," James nodded, passing her the sausage she had been struggling to slide onto her plate.

He could not understand why he was being so quiet around her, when they had been spending so much time together the previous few days: hours together involving dinners and late get-to-know-me talks. He feared his silence was sparked by his anxiety toward making the wrong move when he was so close to the happiness of a date with her.

It was in the moments of his reverie that Lily's friends had requested to join their party, and were amicably – minus Mary, of course – engaging in playful conversations with his friends.

"Beat me in _anything_, MacDonald?" he heard Sirius coax. He was now leaning toward her, a wicked smile on his face. The one James knew never brought anything but trouble.

Her face split into her own evil grin, "Yes, Black. Might knock you down a few pegs, but of course I probably should be gearing any type of challenge toward your best mate. With that much of an inflated head, I dunno how his broomstick can even get off the ground. He—"

But James had stopped listening, she had given him the perfect idea for some stress relief: Quidditch. In his obsession with the upcoming date, James has forgotten to even schedule practices with his team, and though he hardly needed the time to hone his skill set once more, he knew the same could not be said for his players. What better way to blow off some steam?

He quickly devoured the last of his breakfast before standing up, getting the attention from everyone he was sitting with.

"See you later," he said to no one in particular, already slinging his school bag over his shoulder. "Gonna try to get us a spot on the pitch for this afternoon if I can catch old Minnie in a good mood." He had taken only a few steps before he stopped, turned on his heels and spoke to Lily, "I'll see you in class?"

"Yeah, sure," she said, giving him a small smile and a nod. The edges of her cheeks turned a light pink as she turned back to her oatmeal. Across from her Mary gave a small noise of contempt, but continued her banter with Sirius as they finished their breakfast.

* * *

Classes went as uneventful as expected, with the only break in the monotony coming with both Lily and James' groups starting to morph into one group of friends, sitting together in every class. This not only made Lily anxious and relieved, but also enticed her a little. As a group they accomplished so much schoolwork during classes and the breaks between them that when their last class ended, they could all enjoy the evening off, locating to various places around the castle relaxing.

Mary and Lily elected to sit near the lake, resting their feet in the water that within a few weeks would no longer be bearable to touch. Remus and Peter sat mere feet away under the large tree James and Lily had previously lounged under and they were once again engaged in a chess match that had Peter swearing under his breath and Remus laughing quietly to himself. Amelia shot them the occasional fake glare when they got too loud for her to concentrate on the book she was reading. Dorcas and Sirius had gone to the Quidditch pitch to watch James and the rest of the Gryffindors in an afternoon practice.

"You aren't seriously going to_ go out_ with him tomorrow, are you?"

Lily knew this was coming. It was only a matter of time before Mary could hold in her contempt, and though Lily expected it, it didn't make her anymore prepared to face the comments. Luckily Amelia had propped her book on the tree and made her way over to them.

"Oh sod off," she said, and Lily knew she was only half joking. "James has followed the rules…and even so, that isn't why Lily is going to go out with him anyway."

"Huh?" her face flushed a dark red. "What d'you mean?"

She had never seen Amelia smile broader. "Well I know you're going to go out tomorrow under the pretense that it's due to James 'winning'. But that's not the real reason you are doing it. The Lily who loathed James would've found any excuse to call it off—"

"Which doesn't sound like such a bad idea!" Mary suggested, trying to catch Lily's attention away from Amelia. "Why are you even wasting your time? You know this is just an act to get into your knickers—"

"We can hear you, you know!" came Peter's angry call.

"Sod off, you tosser," Mary sneered back, now fully intent on ignoring Peter, and Remus if he too were to say anything. "You know I'm right, Lily. He hasn't changed, he's just waiting until you are actually dumb enough to start fancying him, so he can return to his prat ways – and by the looks of it, mind you, he won't be waiting too much longer for –"

"Drop it!" Amelia ordered, now glaring angrily at Mary. "It's not your business to tell Lily what to do, and it's extremely rude of you to say what you're saying so for Merlin's sake just let it go."

Lily's mind was so clouded with the words just spoken between her two friends that she couldn't hear Mary's rebuke or any of the comments that followed, as Remus and Peter had come over to join the conversation, whether defending James or Amelia from Mary she didn't know. Her worry from Amelia's truth had quickly subsided into fears that Mary herself might be telling the truth. She knew she was taking a gamble with James, she never tried to convince herself otherwise – it had only been a few days of really spending time with James and maybe he was just showing her what she wanted to see.

Deep inside of her though, she knew there was truth in his despair over his mother. That was irrefutable – Mary's words could not challenge that, and even with how frightened Lily was becoming with the prospect of dating James, of getting in too deep with someone who had time and time again, proven to be a berk, she could not deny that she had underestimated how much of a good person he could also be. _Time_. Maybe that was it; maybe she needed more time to decide if he was worth this gamble. Five days? Had she really thought that would be enough?

Well truth be told, five days before now she was determined to do whatever she needed to do to avoid a date with _Potter_, and now she was having raging debates in her mind about her feelings for _James._

Her thoughts were finally interrupted when she heard the fighting around her end. Looking away from the lake, she noticed what had grabbed their attention: Dorcas and Sirius sprinting toward them, as though in some mad dash to a finish line invisible to them. Lily scrambled to her feet as gracefully as possible, slipping her shoes back on, an odd feeling of knowing where indeed the finish line was.

"Lily!" Dorcas panted, starting to hold a stitch in her side as she came stumbling within feet of the group. "Lily, James just—"

"Dorcas, what are you—"

"Sirius, she deserves to know," Dorcas insisted, giving herself a moment to regain some steady breathing. Lily's stomach had climbed into her throat and she, too, was finding it hard to breath.

"It was a mistake," Sirius pleaded. "You were there, you know it was. You know how James can be when it comes to—"

"He _lost_, though." Dorcas said it as though he needed reminding, but Lily could tell from his face that he would not forget the event that quickly.

"What happened?" Lily asked cautiously.

"Didn't you hear?" Mary asked, gleefully. "Potter blew it! Just as we all expected him to. Now get on with it Dor, how did the prick do it this time? Curse someone off a broomstick? Will we be needing to go to the hospital wing—?"

"What happened?" Lily asked again, this time her voice louder, as if to shut Mary up.

"James punched Benji straight in the jaw—completely broke it, it was the most horrible—"

Mary laughed hysterically. "The berk probably deserved it, but James—"

"He did deserve it!" Sirius looked glad to finally get a moment to add his perspective into the conversation. "_You_ don't even know what Fenwick was doing," he rounded on Dorcas, desperately attempting to get her to admit she was out of line. "What he was saying to James the entire practice. He deserved a broken nose at the very least – the only thing that should've been different was that I should've gotten there first to knock him on his arse. James was foolish—"

"He certainly was," Lily agreed, her decision finalized, her worries evaporated. James—Potter had made her choice simple, and she had never felt so relieved. Mary was quick at her heels, following her away from the group.

"But Lily, Benji deserved it!" Sirius called to her, rushing toward the castle, with the others not far behind. "He was baiting him the whole practice—"

"That does not matter," Lily clearly announced, stopping quickly and almost knocking a bewildered Mary to her feet as she turned to address Sirius. "I refuse to give Potter a chance when he can't control his hatred and anger, baited or not."

She continued on toward the castle, this time only followed by her own friends, while Sirius, looking as defeated as she expected James would feel once he heard her decision, slouched back toward the pitch to inform James of all his mistake had caused.

* * *

James Potter was livid. More angry than he had been in days. His fist found the wooden doors of a locker and smashed it into pieces, his mind was too busy to notice the wood splintering his hand and register it as painful. He took three deep breaths before slamming open the locker-room door and walking out toward the pitch. To his surprise no one was waiting for him in the stands. He had sworn he saw Sirius and possibly Dorcas sitting in the stands throughout the practice. Maybe they had met up with Lily and gone to dinner…

He looked to his left to see three somber looking Marauders slowing walking toward him and his anger subsided into fear. _Lily_. The look on Sirius' face said enough as he approached but that didn't stop an explanation from occurring.

"I'm sorry, Prongs," Sirius began.

"What happened?" James asked, his voice cracking, half in desperation, half in anger.

"Dorcas told Lily that you broke Fenwick's jaw," Peter explained, frowning. "And now Lily's called the whole thing off, and—"

"We're sorry, Prongs," Sirius repeated, cutting Peter's horrible explanation short. "She wouldn't listen to me."

"She didn't even want to understand under what circumstances you lost your temper," Remus sighed.

"A cop out," Peter nodded, tactlessly saying what they were all thinking. "Sorry, mate."

"What the _fuck_ is her problem?" James exploded. He tried very hard to calm himself down but found nothing but the broomstick leaning against the locker-room any potential type of comfort. He didn't say another word to his friends, but merely grabbed his broomstick and headed toward the setting sun.

She tried to not think about it, but that proved to be difficult with Mary dancing alongside her, still laughing in glee at James' failure. What was worse was Dorcas' guilty silence that hung thickly in the air as though she knew she was the direct reason for the scene that had just occurred and that she should have just left it alone. But neither were as bad as Amelia's disappointed face, because it so clearly showed her how she knew she truly felt, in a way a mirror would never quite be able to.

* * *

As she led the girls up the stairs she was uncertain of where to go. If she were to go to the Head's tower, there was always the chance of running into James, along with being alone to dwell in her thoughts, and that just wouldn't do. Her other option was the Gryffindor common room, but that again could lead her into a face-to-face encounter with James or the rest of the Marauders, which would be no better. That left her only other option being to retreat to her old dormitory with her friends, and hope that whatever conversation did occur would lead to anything but James.

_Bloody likely that is_, she thought darkly to herself as she pushed open the dormitory door. No one spoke immediately, in fact, the only sound at all was Mary's slight hums as though she was singing a song none of the rest knew – one that Lily had an eerie feeling had lyrics involving 'James Potter' 'prat' and 'failure'.

"So what are we doing tomorrow now that your schedule is clear?" Mary asked. Lily wondered how it was possible for Mary to ask a question with all of her teeth showing through a gleaming smile.

"We're doing homework," Amelia answered, before Lily even began thinking. "Lily's still got a dinner-date in Hogsmeade with Professor Slughorn. And James of course."

Lily stomach dropped, just as Mary's smile fell from her face. "Oh bugger, I'd forgotten about that."

"Oh Lily, I've gone and made it awkward now, I'm so sorry—"

"Dorcas, don't," Lily began quietly, her voice curiously raspy from the ten minutes of silence she just had. "You did the right thing, James doesn't deserve the date—"

"Bullocks," Amelia said, almost uncharacteristically and Lily felt as though she was hit with something large and heavy.

"James deserves his time with you," Dorcas agreed, hoping to cut off whatever Amelia was gearing up to say. "And you'd like nothing more than to give him it, but this damned agreement you have just makes you too proud to see past it."

"That's not the reason at all," Amelia said, trying hard to keep her voice level. "I have a feeling Lily is very aware of her own feelings for James and how hard it's been to understand them, so she just took the first chance to bunk."

"You're mad," Mary laughed. "And besides, what does this matter? Lily made her decision, and we have to respect that." The smile was growing on her face as she spoke, but upon catching Dorcas' eye, she became more serious. "If anything, James should be the one pleading his case, if he truly cared and wanted her, he'd be here. Clearly he isn't."

"It's not as simple as that!" Amelia had never sounded so irritated.

"Now it's your turn to lay off it, 'Melia. Lily doesn't want Potter and that's all there is to know about it—"

"You're right," Lily said softly, catching everyone off guard. And just as Mary let out a triumphant _"See?"_, Lily added, "Amelia."

At this point Lily had sat herself down on her old bed and pulled her knees to her chest, avoiding eye contact with her friends.

"I did a bunk," Lily admitted. "But it was my choice to and it's what I wanted to do. So for now, I just don't want to talk about it, if you don't mind."

She had never seen her friends look so curiously at her with an overwhelming desire to understand what exactly she was feeling. But with she herself so unsure, there were no answers for them. She was grateful when they dropped it, and spent the rest of the evening gossiping about things none of them really cared about, but worked very hard to be interested in. And when two thirty rolled around, Lily thought it might finally be safe to return to the Head's tower.

When she arrived she found nothing to indicate that anyone had been moving in the tower for hours, and she quietly but swiftly ran up the stairs into her room and locked the door behind her. She threw herself onto her bed in the darkness and was slightly started to feel something underneath her. With a quick _"Lumos!" _she sat up and realized what she had felt: the parchment with the words 'your heart' written on it in James' messy scribble. She moved it to the bedside table, covered the room in darkness once more and ended her night with one of the uneasiest sleeps she had ever experienced.


	13. Chapter 13 & The End

Masterpiece

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and everything related belongs first, and foremost, to JK Rowling, and then to her partnerships with Bloomsbury, Scholastics, Warner Bros., etc.

**Summary:** It's true: Every girl wants to be the Lily who finds her James.

**Posted:** 9/6/10

**Author's Note:** Can I just say I was unbelievably surprised by the continuous "I hate Mary" reviews? I suppose that just means she (and I) are both doing our jobs – don't fret, though, she'll get over it. Also, do yourself a favor and watch the new Deathly Hallows trailer – it is breathtaking! Secondly, I'd like to apologize for the delay – not only did my laptop charger break (so I couldn't write and even if I had, I couldn't post) but my iPod got stolen so I've been insanely aggravated and that has stopped the writing too. But anyway: now, here is the chapter we've all been waiting for (me included)!

* * *

Masterpiece

He was pacing, back and forth, his bare feet dragging across the small rug in his bedroom. He was pacing because there was nothing else he could do. He had already broken half his furniture, only to repair them and break them once more – wood laid scattered across the floor, alongside glass, and a few shirts he couldn't stop himself from shredding apart. He was careful not to walk through the debris as he stalked around in anguish.

He had been so close to reaching his goal, only to have it ripped from his hands by none other than _Benji Fenwick_. He felt sick to his stomach, approaching his wooden bedroom door and slamming his fist into the wood. His breath was heavy as he leaned his forehead against the door, closing his eyes. _Fuck_, he could feel his nose running, and he quickly stood up and backed away from the door, brushing a hand under his glasses, swiftly across his eyes.

Hours had passed by with his feet shuffling across the floor – the only break coming when he thought he heard Lily's door close softly across the hall, and that wasn't by choice. He felt sick to his stomach thinking about the following day, where he had to sit in agony at dinner with her and Slughorn. Maybe he wouldn't go – the thought struck him hard but he wasn't sure he could get a good enough excuse, and besides, maybe a trip to Hogsmeade would do him some good. He could arrange meeting up with Sirius, and find a way to do a bunk on the dinner half way through…

His thoughts stopped cold. A bunk. That was more Lily's style than his, he thought bitterly. But even through his anger at the situation he held very little regret. The past few days had been some of the best he had since his mom passed away – for whatever reason, James found much more comfort in Lily than expected. It was not something he wanted to live without in his life. He gained a little confidence in the fact that Lily had already warmed up to him a bit… So just maybe... A soft knock on his door simultaneously awoke him from his reverie, and caused his heart to jump into his throat.

"Y-yeah?" He croaked out.

"Prongs it's me," came a deeper voice than he anticipated. Feeling half letdown and half relieved, he moved forward to grant Sirius entrance.

"Sirius," he greeted, running a shaking hand through his hair while exhaling. "What's going on, mate?"

Sirius' eyes had light circles underneath them that mirrored James' own eyes, he was sure, and James wondered if he had been up all this time too – the sun would rise within a few hours and his sleepless night would come to turn into a sleepless morning.

"Just wanted to see if you wanted to go for a run – you know, blow off some steam." Sirius smiled weakly, "Full moon style."

It was the best idea James had heard all night. He and Sirius quietly reconstructed his furniture and other broken possessions, then fetched James' invisibility cloak and headed out into the night.

* * *

"Oh cheer up, Lily."

"I swear to Merlin if you don't stop," Amelia sneered in a deadly sharp whisper. Mary bit her tongue, turning her attention to her food and away from Lily for what seemed to be the first time in days. Though Lily faintly heard her mutter into her oatmeal something along the lines of _"I was just saying."_

"Want some toast, Lil?" Dorcas seemed to be carefully offering things more than necessary – her guilt complex acting up once more.

"I'm _fine_, really," she insisted, which was only a sure-fire way of letting her friends know she wasn't. "Plus," she began lightly, "I plan on getting a huge dinner tonight – might as well make the best of having to endure a dinner with Slughorn, eh?"

Only Dorcas forced a half-smile at her light-hearted comment. Amelia was still glaring hard at Mary, who was avoiding everyone's eyes. Lily sighed, and despite herself, looked around the hall for her newest group of friends. She found only two of the four sitting along the Gryffindor table, silently munching away at some toast and bacon. She half expected a confrontation with James to have already occurred, especially since it was nearing eleven o'clock, and James hardly slept this late even on weekends, but he was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Sirius.

"You should go find him," Amelia suggested, finally turning her attention to Lily, noticing her searching eyes, and thoughtful expression. "At least have a talk with him about things."

Lily shook her head, "I'm doing this my way, remember?"

"I'm not trying to get you to change your mind," Amelia said evenly. "I just think he deserves something – some sort of explanation."

Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw Dorcas nod her head in agreement.

"Enough." Lily tried hard to keep her voice level. "I'm going to go enjoy my day outside," she continued, standing up from her seat. "Anyone who doesn't want to talk about—about _him_ is welcome to join me."

It was only Mary who followed her at first, and they quickly walked past Remus and Peter, and then down into the Entrance hall with such swiftness that Lily felt sure she wouldn't run into James. In fact they made it all the way down to the edge of the lake without seeing any other students or teachers, for which Lily was grateful. She closed her eyes and laid flat on her back as she rested her feet in the cool lake. She felt Mary join her on the hard earth and opened her eyes once more.

"It's a pity no one else is allowed to go to Hogsmeade today," Lily began conversationally. "They always make the first weekend when it's starting to get cold, don't you think?"

"Sure," Mary agreed, for the sake of agreement.

Both girls sat in silence for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts. Mary was the first to make a sudden movement, and it caught Lily's full attention. Propping herself up on one elbow, Mary turned to face Lily.

"No one could blame you for actually developing feelings for that git." Lily was surprised to hear these words, but more surprised to hear the tone in which Mary said them – not with malice or spite: the 'git' was far from the insult she once used so liberally. "I'm not going to lecture you like the others," Mary continued. "In fact, it's sort of weird to even be talking to you about this but as your friend I want you to know I care..."

Lily couldn't help but sit up completely now, listening to every word.

"I've been really insensitive, but really no more than you were two weeks ago when you thought Potter was a berk." Lily felt this was a fair point, and it only made her more interested in what Mary would say next. "But I can see things have changed for you, and I've been thinking about it… if you think he's worth a damn, Lil…well, just imagine being offered what you think is a knut, and having it wind up being a galleon."

By this time Dorcas and Amelia had found their way down to the lake and were untying their shoes, joining either side of Mary and Lily, who shared one last glance and small smile before erupting into conversation far off the topic of Hogsmeade dinners and hazel-eyed Quidditch players. But those thoughts still filled Lily's mind.

* * *

"I don't want to go."

"But do you really have a choice?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Well maybe you could skive out now – but we all know you can't avoid Slughorn forever, nobody can."

"Fair point, but it's not him I'm trying to avoid, is it?"

This conversation had been going on for what seemed to be hours in the 7th year boys' dormitory. He had been tossing around the idea in his head, but James always turned to his best friends to get their opinions. Much to his dismay, they felt the same way he did – dinner was unavoidable.

So around seven-thirty, James regretfully made his way down the stairwell, feeling almost as though he were walking to some sort of solemn march no one but him could hear. Thankfully, the corridors that were still littered with students held no sign of _her_ and he began to gain a bit more confidence with every step, until he hit the thresholds leading out of the castle. He half wondered if he ought to have taken a secret passage out of the castle, but it was too late to turn back, and he trudged along the grounds. The confidence that had once grown with every step on the stone castle floor, now dissipated at an alarming rate as his feet breached the hard earth. He exhaled as he passed through the gates, and though he vaguely remembered reaching The Three Broomsticks, his feet seemed to have taken him there without much help from any other part of him.

Peering through the window he saw that he was late – Slughorn sat at a table, talking animatedly with a tussle of auburn hair, for James couldn't see her face from outside. Exhaling once more, trying to gain once last bout of confidence, he pushed open the door and sauntered inside.

"Well well, who have we got here?" came the curvy voice of Madame Rosmerta.

"Hello there," he greeted; forcing the lopsided grin he knew she was used to. Her own smile covered the entirety of her face as she reached forward to hug him. He brushed his lips swiftly across her cheek, now forcing a small smile. Behind Rosmerta, Lily's tried very hard to keep her attention on whatever fruitless event Slughorn was speaking of, but it was difficult to keep her focus on Slughorn when she was quite sure her heart was going to break through her chest from the rapidity of its beats.

"I do believe you are late for your dinner date," Rosmerta said, with a glimmering smile still present. "And because of that, you might have to stay late to catch up with _me_."

James tried to make his face not betray him and give away that this was the last thing he wanted to do tonight by giving her a small smile and another kiss on the cheek then shuffling past her toward the table.

"Ah Mr. Potter, late as usual, I see," Slughorn greeted with a hearty laugh.

"Evening, Professor," he nodded, taking his seat to the left of Lily, avoiding eye contact with her even as he added, "Lily," with a general nod.

"We were beginning to think you'd – what's that phrase? Ah, yes – done a bunk, Mr. Potter." Only Slughorn wouldn't have noticed the physical response both Lily and James had to this phrase. "Glad to see we were wrong!"

"Yeah, sorry…" James was having a difficult time getting any type of genuine feeling into his voice, so he cleared his throat and tried again. "I lost track of time with the guys, you know."

"Oh yes, very easy to do. Once good friends are all gathered together the time really does seem to fly, doesn't it! Just think in a few months when you both have graduated…"

Both James and Lily let Slughorn teeter off on his own tangent about the future, and the topics changed from them both graduating and going onto ("entirely foreseeable," as Slughorn said) greater and grander things, to current wizarding events ("though we all might be better off moving out of England, for our own safety," Slughorn added), to his favorite subject of all: the networked chain of witches and wizards whom he always knew would be some of the greats ("if you both would ever like to make a contact within the Ministry, or _anywhere_, really, just let me know," he gloated, laughter filling his voice).

Time seemed to drag on and on, while Lily and James sat horribly aware of how close they were to each other, and how anxious they were to get the evening finished – James fully intended on sprinting up the cobbled streets and out of the village the moment the dinner was completed. In fact, he was almost reconsidering skiving out early by using some idiotic story of some engagement that needed him elsewhere, but he never found the confidence to follow through. Lily, on the other hand, was not sure what she planned on doing when the end of the dinner arrived. She sat vaguely listening to Slughorn, going through scenarios in her mind, playing out things to do or say, wondering what James intended to do.

Finally, after two and a half hours and three courses of food Slughorn stretched his meaty arms along his rotund belly and yawned his appreciation for their company at dinner. All three arose, and Slughorn looked curiously in between them for a few long moments before seeming to make a decision he had been pondering.

"Well, I must be getting up to bed – have second years first thing tomorrow morning, and Merlin do they keep me on my toes!" he laughed quietly to himself. "But the night is still young, so I will not require company up to the castle if you two should like some more time away. Goodnight Miss Evans – Mr. Potter."

The both mumbled their goodbyes to him, thanking him once more for the wonderful meal. And then the moment they both had been dreading came: they stood there awkwardly, James rubbing the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact with Lily, while Lily herself toed the floor.

"Err," James began, clearing his throat. "Well, see you later."

It was almost painful to say the words. And while still purposefully avoiding eye contact James headed toward the door. Lily exhaled, her eyes finally leaving the floor to watch James' back. She frowned to herself, turning back toward the table and there she saw the galleon tip Slughorn had left sitting on the table with their empty goblets. _Just imagine being offered what you think is a knut, and having it wind up being a galleon._

The cooling night air hit her face as she jogged out onto the cobbled streets. It was almost too dark to see much other than what fell under the light of the hanging lanterns. Taking a gamble that James was most likely headed back to school, she began racing down the street that most directly led to the castle. He was walking at an almost jog-like pace when she finally saw his frame pass under a lantern.

"JAMES!" she called at the top of her voice. "James!"

Whether he wanted to or not, he had no choice but to stop dead in his tracks, under the lantern right outside Honeydukes. He turned to look at her.

"Hey," he greeted, planting another fake smile on his face as she joined him under the lantern's light.

"How are you?" she asked, trying to gain confidence to start a real conversation.

He couldn't stop himself from exhaling a 'heh' like sound that indicated his dark answer. "To be honest, I've been better…but it helps that the dinner is over with now, eh?"

"Yeah," she laughed falsely. "He sure can talk, that Slughorn."

"Right," he nodded, looking around once more. "Well, I'm going to head back to school—"

"James," she began, causing his voice to die in this throat. He had to force himself to look at her – the emerald stung under the light of the lantern. "Five days ago, I would've bet all the galleons in the world that you were going to fail – we both know that's why I agreed to this." James felt a mixture of anger and depression surge through him. "It was such a stupid bet that I didn't expect…" she let her voice drop off.

"That you didn't expect me to even come close to doing, I realized." He couldn't keep the sharpness out of his voice. "And you won, so I'm giving up."

She felt stupid with what she wanted to say, _"Don't give up!"_ but it really was all she could think of to stop him from walking away from her. "Don't." He seemed to not have heard her, but really he let the words bounce off his back. "James, please."

"I can't keep this up, I can't change everything at once," he muttered so quietly he wasn't sure she heard.

"Well, I can't keep fighting whatever hex you put on me that makes me want…this…" she muttered back, turning in defeat.

"What did you say?"

She froze, horrorstruck, but quickly kept moving forward, hoping he would not make her repeat those stupid words.

"Hey, wait up," he called to her, coming up beside her, and lightly holding his arm out to stop her. His hand fell down her arm and brushed hers. "What did you just say?"

"It's stupid."

"It isn't."

"It really was, I swear—"

He was starting to grin despite himself. "Did I break through…?"

She resisted he urge to hit him, his ego was making it difficult for her to keep a straight face. "Oh bugger off," she demanded, her lips twitching upward. "I can't even have a serious discussion—"

"Okay, okay," he ceded, turning to face her completely now, grabbing her fingertips with his own.

She paused for another moment, as though waiting for him to interrupt with more of his thoughts, and when he didn't she took a deep breath and continued, "I like you, James. As barmy and strange as it is to say, I do. And it's slightly alarming to me so I took the easy way out earlier, so I wouldn't have to face this. But…"

James' hand that had once been playing with her fingertips now stayed still, and his eyes bore into hers, as he hung on her next words.

"Then I realized I'm just making excuses, when I should just give it a chance. Admittedly, I am fully aware that this…this could be a disaster. Lily Evans dating James Potter?" Her joking toned seemed absent from her voice, much to her dismay. "But it could also turn out to be…" Words failed her.

James now fully linked his hand into hers, and leaned down to brush his lips upon hers. "A masterpiece?" he offered.

"I mean, let's not go getting carried away," Lily laughed, slightly off balance from James' kiss. His face broke into a huge lopsided smile. After a moment her smile faded softer, and she looked up at James in all seriousness, leaning upward, knowing James would understand. And under the latern light of Honeydukes, their lips met in what Lily considered to be their first real kiss: the beginning of a love that came to be known as a masterpiece.

* * *

They say, "Every girl wants to be like Lily Evans and find her James Potter."

And though they may once have envision a masterpiece of a man saving his fiery love, they'll know now the masterpiece was never just a beautiful boy, who was top of his year, brilliant at everything, envied by all; who one day saved the one girl he always wanted and proved his value beyond all doubts.

Nor was it a stubborn redhead who avoided the boy at all costs, who fought her affection for years until finally one day she gave in when she allowed herself to realize he was _perfect_.

Because these simply aren't the real masterpiece – aren't the real reasons the story of Lily and James trumps all the greatest we've ever heard.

Though James and Lily's love wound up being a masterpiece of sorts – the beauty of a love formed despite the odds of an unlikely past, the strength of a love that developed despite such early animosity – the real masterpiece was a child.

One that looked so much like his father – but had his mother's eyes. A masterpiece Harry James Potter, who brought more happiness to the world than James or Lily could've ever imagined as they stood kissing in front of Honeydukes on a late October night when they were merely seventeen.

The beauty of their love was only one chapter in the masterpiece of their existence. Because of a scrawny green-eyed boy, with messy black hair, and a lightning bolt on his forehead, the story of their love is a masterpiece.

* * *

**Final note: **I am very sorry for the delay – this ending was very difficult to write. After four or five separate re-readings (of the fic, chapter, and end) I couldn't get it to where I wanted it to be. In fact, I'm still not sure I have. Brutally honest feedback would be more than appreciated! Happy reading, my friends!


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